Collision of Fates
by Spunky0ne
Summary: After the spirit king is killed by a demon, Byakuya and Aizen are forced to engage in a ritual to bring forth the new king. Alone and powerless, Byakuya tries to protect the unborn king, believing that Aizen plans to kill them when the ritual ends...mpreg
1. It is Always Darkest Before Dawn

**Collision of Fates**

**By Spunky0ne**

**(_AN**Okay…*sighs*, I admit it. Spunky cannot pass up a good idea. I tried really hard to resist, but someone mentioned they would like to see an Aizen/Bya version of my story, Bearers of the New King. Having a billion WIPs and already straining to not neglect anything…an impossible task, of course…I valiantly tried to focus on FINISHING something. But muses are funny creatures, and mine just wouldn't leave me alone. So…here it is. There will be some similarities in the two stories, mostly just the process by which the new king is made. But this story will be fresh in that the chemistry between Aizen and Byakuya is very different than that between Byakuya and Renji. All right, I've said enough. Enjoy the story, and please review! I love hearing your comments. Oh, and forgive me for forgetting who to credit for asking for this. I can't remember right now, but whoever it was…*sobs*…thanks! Spunky loves you even though it means another WIP to try to keep up with! LOL_)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**As much as our pride wishes to brush off cruel fate by calling it an unfortunate turn of events or an accident, the truth is that there are no accidents, only hard collisions of mingled fates…**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: It is Always Darkest Before Dawn**

Akio hurried down the quiet hallways of the spirit king's palace, his youthful features displaying annoyance at himself for being a few minutes behind, but glad for it being time for his favorite duty…waking King Eiji at the dawn of each new day. And as the spirit king's personal attendant, he enjoyed a place very close to the king. It was a great responsibility, of course, but Eiji was a pleasant and wise old man and Akio lived for the times when the king would sit beneath the lovely trees in the gardens and tell him stories, or when he would bring the king's tea and favorite cookies, and always be invited to join him in enjoying them. He often felt more like a son than a servant, and even the dullest of his duties never seemed a burden with so much to look forward to.

He reached the king's door and slid to a stop in front of the guards, brushing the long, tumbled strands of black hairs out of his blue eyes. The guards chuckled softly to themselves and nodded in greeting.

"Good morning, Akio-kun," said Ken, smiling at the youth, "Running a bit late today?"

"More like every day, ne?" added his brother Kin, laughing softly, "But I do not believe that his majesty minds the extra sleep. He seems to need it these days, what with the demon sightings around the palace and so much unrest among the hollows, now that Aizen Sousuke no longer leads them."

"I do feel safer, now that Aizen is locked up inside Central 46's prisons and not roaming free anymore. At least we can breathe a sigh of relief that he is never going to threaten our lord again," said Ken.

"Yes," agreed Akio, looking relieved, "That shinigami was more scary than any demon."

"Perhaps, but the Royal Guard is being wary, just the same," Kin said quietly, "And if you go outside the palace walls, you would do well to maintain vigilance, Akio-kun."

"Oh…I will, of course!" he promised, "Arigato, Ken-san and Kin-san. May I wake the king now?"

"Of course," said the guards, stepping aside and pushing the door open.

Akio stepped into the room and immediately froze as a shock of icy air struck him. And it occurred to him that the balcony doors stood open, and the cold pre-dawn breeze was coming in from outside. Strangely, he remembered closing the doors, and the king sealing them. And Eiji had fallen asleep before he left. So the king had to have awakened and opened them during the night.

An odd, coppery scent fell across his senses as he moved forward, his eyes blinking as he turned on the lights and then caught his breath in dismay. He stood, breathless and trembling with terror and devastation as his eyes found the body of his beloved king laid out across the bed, his lovely, pale body streaked with blood and the old, kind eyes opened wide. And beside the bed, a wicked, black demon with cruel clawed hands and cold, red eyes stared back at him and froze him in place. At first he couldn't make a sound, but as the deadly beast moved closer, what he had done to the king registered fully in the attendant's young mind and his mouth opened into a hard, rending scream of fury and pain.

And in that moment, young Akio proved what the king had always told him, even though he had never quite believed it.

_I chose you to attend me for many reasons, Akio-kun. You are very pleasant company, for one…but you are also stronger than you think, and you are devoted to your king. Give yourself more credit, child. You serve me well, and I will never regret choosing you._

Akio heard the sound of Ken and Kin flash stepping into the room as he closed the distance between the demon and himself, pulling his zanpakutou free and releasing it without a word. The demon gave a rasping laugh, slashing at the youth as he attacked, blocking the sword, but dancing back as the blade flared in release, and launching himself through the outer doors and down off the balcony as Akio's young fire dragon swept after him, followed closely by the two guards. Other guards, down below the balcony, joined the chase, leaving Akio behind as he let his dragon fade, and turned back to the king.

The king's healer was already at his side, leaning over him and shaking his head sadly. As Akio watched and tears streamed onto his face, the healer sighed sadly and reached over to brush the old king's eyes closed. He looked up at the devastated youth and smiled sympathetically.

"I am sorry, Akio-kun," he said softly, "His majesty was already gone when I arrived. But…if there is anything we can consider fortunate, it is that you stopped that beast from devouring his soul. It has already returned to the King's Prism. And that means that our lord can be reborn."

Akio sniffed softly and nodded, trying to let the healer's words bolster him. But he knew that even once the king was reborn, he would be different than the kind old man he remembered. He would carry the spirit of the former king…and all of the other kings that came before him, inside, but he would be a different incarnation. And Akio knew that it meant that he would simply have to adjust. He brushed away his tears and sat down on the bed, watching as the light of the new day streamed in through the balcony doors and fell across the bed. And as the healer, the youth and several attending guards watched, the king's torn body shimmered and slowly faded away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya looked up as Soutaichou's hell butterfly fluttered into the sixth division headquarters and stopped to give its message.

_All taichous and fukutaichous are summoned to meet in the first division headquarters immediately. I repeat…all taichous and fukutaichous are summoned to meet at the first division headquarters immediately._

He ignored Renji's groan of discontent and was on his feet immediately, flash stepping out the office doors and into the streets of the Seireitei with Renji at his side, no longer complaining, now that it was clear it would do no good anyway. The two swept past the fourth division and up the hill to the first, slowing as they caught up with Ukitake taichou, Kyouraku taichou and their fukutaichous. Byakuya sighed unhappily, still uncertain that his decision to allow his sister to be promoted to thirteenth division fukutaichou was a good one. But Rukia looked so happy and proud as she fell in next to Renji that he felt it best to let the issue go. He couldn't take it back, and although he worried for her, he knew that she was possessed of the skills to make an excellent fukutaichou.

"Good morning, Nii-sama," she said, smiling at him.

"Good morning, Rukia," he said quietly, nodding in acknowledgement.

Whatever his objections might have been, he simply let them go for the moment and spoke quietly with the other taichous as they walked into the first division together.

"Do you have any idea what this nonsense is about?" asked Kyouraku, blinking lazily, "They sure rousted us early."

"The message did not say," Byakuya said solemnly, "It only called us here, and gave no indication of why."

"No, I heard no clue of why either," said Ukitake taichou, "Whatever it is, Soutaichou is keeping it to himself. It must be very important."

"Good morning, Kuchiki taichou, Ukitake taichou, Kyouraku taichou, fukutaichous," said a pleasant female voice.

"Good morning Unohana taichou," the three taichous said together.

"Have you heard anything about what is going on?" asked Ukitake taichou, "None of us have heard a thing, and it is rather odd for there to be no clue as to what this is about."

"I was not told much, myself," admitted the healer, "Only that my assistance would be needed to move a dangerous prisoner. Oh, and Isane mentioned that when she went to the first division to make a delivery, she saw a royal hell butterfly arrive."

"Hmmm," observed Ukitake taichou, "How odd."

"Well, we'd best get inside," said Kyouraku taichou, looking around and sighing, "We aren't going to learn anything standing out here."

The group walked in and took their places in the meeting chamber. They had only a moment or two to exchange greetings before Soutaichou appeared in the doorway and moved quickly to the front of the room. The discontented flare of his reiatsu was enough to tell the ones gathered that the matter was serious, and they fell silent immediately.

"I thank you all for gathering so quickly," he said solemnly, "I have received grave news from the spirit dimension. What I am about to say to you is highly classified, and no one among you is to breathe a word of it outside of this room. The consequences of doing so could be disastrous. This morning, I received a royal message indicating that there had been a demon attack in the royal palace. And during the course of that attack, the spirit king was killed."

Soft gasps erupted around the room as the weight of the news settled over those gathered. Soutaichou paused for a moment, then cleared his throat and continued.

"As you know, our king had no heirs. There is no one left of the royal line to assume the throne. The situation is extreme. The spirit king is the lynchpin that holds our worlds together. Our worlds cannot survive if we do not replace him with due haste. Fortunately, there is a way for us to bring about the birth of a new king. And upon receiving word of the monarch's death, the King's Council gathered and put that process into motion. But the way from this point is difficult. We have never before attempted the Spirit King's Rebirth Ritual. Until now, there has always been an heir to carry forward the king's line. It is necessary for all of you to be aware of what the process entails, as you will be responsible for holding our society together and keeping panic from erupting as we move forward from this point."

He paused and blinked slowly, placing his thoughts in order before going on.

"The royal communication relayed the information that there is already an imbalance, a shift in the foundation of our worlds. As of yet, only the most powerful among us can sense it, but it is the beginning of our demise. As the next several months pass, that imbalance will continue to gain force and those of us in the Seireitei, Hueco Mundo and the living world will begin to notice instability in our powers, unrest in our people and increasingly severe global events. It is imperative that we position ourselves to handle what happens while at the same time calming and reassuring the populace, giving the King's Council time to invoke the ritual to bring about the making of the new king."

"And how will that work?" asked Ukitake taichou, frowning, "How do they 'make' a king?"

Soutaichou looked back at them sternly.

"It is forbidden for you to reveal a word of this outside this room, for obvious reasons. This knowledge would be very dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands, but I have been given permission by the King's Council to relay it to all of you. To begin the rebirth, the King's Council invoked a special 'calling' kido. They took the King's Prism, a crystal prism that holds the reiatsu patterns of all of the former kings within it, and they invoked a kido that caused the prism to produce two very special hell butterflies. These left the spirit dimension as the council meeting ended and have arrived here. They have identified two shinigamis who will be responsible for seeing to the rebirth of the new king. And I will tell you that one of you in this room has been chosen to be involved in the rebirth ritual. That chosen one will go with the second chosen to the spirit dimension, where the two will be sealed into the palace for their protection as the ritual commences."

"Can you tell us what the chosen will have to do to make the new king?" asked Kyouraku taichou, "Will the chosen ones be harmed?"

"The two chosen for the ritual will be responsible for the making of the king, but when the ritual is finished, the way to the palace will be reopened and the two will be released to resume their normal lives. However, the demands of the ritual are taxing. Still, it is better for them to endure what they must, than to do nothing and to allow our worlds to fall into chaos and come to an end. So, at the end of this meeting, I will send the one of you who has been chosen to collect the other, and to cross over into the spirit dimension. There, the Royal Guard will seal the two of you into the palace and you will begin the ritual. You must first go to the healing pool in the King's Garden, and there you will bathe to remove your shingami forms and to reveal your inner core. This is part of the reason why the palace must be sealed. The power of those two inner cores, when exposed, will be extreme. It would not be safe to expose the rest of the dimension to those forces. Once the cores are exposed, the one chosen to be the Gatherer will draw the raw reiatsu out of the King's Prism. The reiatsu will be rendered within the Gatherer's body, then placed within the second chosen shinigami's body so that it can be stabilized inside the Vessel's body. Because of the nature of the task, the King's Prism had to identify two taichou level shinigamis suitable for the task. We are compelled not to argue the Prism's choices, but to send them, as called, into the spirit dimension. But you should be aware. The one identified as the Gatherer for this task…is Aizen Sousuke."

Startled gasps erupted from around the room.

"We just got that beast locked up!" exclaimed Kyouraku taichou, "Now he gets to just waltz into the spirit dimension and…"

"How can we rest our future on such a man?" asked Ukitake taichou, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Ukitake taichou is right!" shouted Hitsugaya taichou, "We can't trust that bastard to do what the ritual tells him to. He'll probably just destroy the vessel and try to take over!"

Voices rose and tempers flared as the taichou's meeting room erupted into chaos.

"_SILENCE_!" roared Soutaichou, banging his walking stick angrily on the floor.

The taichous and fukutaichous within the room froze, and Soutaichou continued.

"We have no control over who is chosen for the ritual," he went on. "That is the decision of the King's Prism, and it is final. If the two do fail to produce a king, then our worlds will end. And so, we have no choice but to obey the orders we are given. Those orders are for the Vessel to join the Gatherer and travel to the spirit dimension and begin the ritual immediately. The one of you who has been chosen to be the Vessel, has a dangerous task, indeed."

"You're telling me!" whispered Ukitake taichou, "I wonder who the poor girl will be. They said taichou level, which means it has to be Unohana taichou, Soi fon taichou or one among the female fukutaichous."

"I'd be sorry for Aizen Sousuke if it was Soi fon taichou," muttered Kyouraku taichou.

Byakuya caught his breath softly, his eye falling on Rukia and his heart racing.

_But she is newly promoted and has not yet achieved ban kai. Yet the only ones who have are Unohana taichou and Soi fon taichou. The rest are…_

"The Vessel's duty, once the two reach the spirit dimension, is to see that Aizen Sousuke is immersed in the healing pool to cleanse him, and to expose his core. The vessel, too will bathe in the pool, and will have the core exposed, but cleansing is not necessary, as the Vessel is virginal."

Byakuya's eyes widened.

He was uncertain about Unohana taichou, but he knew for a fact that Soi fon taichou and Matsumoto fukutaichou were not virginal. He noticed the sudden flare of Renji's reiatsu, and looked up at his fukutaichou.

"Taichou," he whispered, "You don't think they'll send Rukia?"

Byakuya shook his head in uncertainty.

"The Vessel will accept the placement of the King's reiatsu in their body and when all of the reiatsu has been placed, the king will emerge. The Vessel's last charge will be to then recall the Royal Guard to open the palace gates and to see to the protection of the new king. We are, of course concerned about Aizen attempting to kill the new king. But as there is no one else, the Vessel must avoid that outcome by whatever means are necessary until the Royal Guard can reach them. The thing that will make this most difficult for the Vessel is that, for the duration of the ritual, the Vessel's powers and connection to zanpakutou will have to be removed to make room for the king's reiatsu."

"That's impossible!" insisted Hitsugaya taichou, "You're telling me that the Vessel has to go to the palace, give up her powers, have sex with Aizen and then hide from him until she has the royal heir? She'll be completely without protection! There is no way that she will survive, especially without her powers!"

"She'd better be a fast runner," commented Zaraki taichou, wryly, "Although after he knocks her up, she won't be able to run that fast…"

Soutaichou sighed heavily.

"The danger will increase with each mating, I am afraid," he admitted.

"Each mating?" Ukitake taichou said, his eyes widening, "You mean…?"

"The Gatherer will only be able to render a portion of the king's reiatsu at a time, and so the two will need to engage in multiple acts of gathering and mating."

"Shit," muttered Zaraki, "So the poor virgin not only loses it to that crazy bastard. She gets to enjoy being screwed by him repeatedly and then being hunted down and killed by him. Nice…"

"Soutaichou," Byakuya said softly, "Is it not possible to send a protector with the Vessel? It seems suicide to send her alone and unprotected."

The captain commander shook his head firmly.

"We are only allowed to send the Gatherer and the Vessel into the palace for the ritual. All others must be locked out to protect them from the extreme forces of the ritual, itself. But I have been assured that there are controls built into the ritual that will aid in keeping the Vessel safe from Aizen's treachery. I do not know what they are, but it is some comfort. There is nothing more we can do. And that being the case, it is my duty to read the name of the Vessel and to send that person to collect Aizen Sousuke and go to the spirit dimension. As soon as the two depart, our squads will arrange themselves to maintain order during the ritual. Squads one and twelve will guard the dimension wall. Squads five, six and thirteen will be on home front duty, here in the Seireitei. Squads seven, eight and ten will patrol the living world, and squads three, nine and eleven will patrol Hueco Mundo. Squads two and four will arrange themselves among all of the sites to assist with special missions and healing."

Soutaichou paused and took a steadying breath.

"Now, the one of you who has been charged with acting as King's Vessel is Kuchiki…"

"NO!" shouted Renji, stepping forward, "There is no fucking way you are sending Rukia into the palace to be screwed and murdered by that nasty, manipulating bastard!"

"Um, Renji…?" said Rukia, too softly to be heard.

"Soutaichou," said Byakuya, "I must also object. Rukia has only just been promoted."

"Uh, guys," Rukia said more loudly, "I'm not…"

"They are right!" insisted Hitsugaya taichou, "It's insane to send Kuchiki Rukia in there alone with Aizen Sousuke. She doesn't stand a chance against him alone. I don't know which of us would! I insist we at least send someone to protect her!"

"I have to agree with Hitsugaya taichou," said Ukitake firmly.

"Guys!" called Rukia, "Hey!"

The rumblings continued until finally Soutaichou slammed his walking stick on the floor again, sending the room into silence, but not before Rukia's voice sounded clearly throughout the room.

"Guys! I'm not a virgin!" she yelled, then her face flushed red and she fell silent, not daring to look at Byakuya.

"But…I am," Byakuya said softly, meeting the captain commander's eyes hesitantly.

"Wh-what?" said Renji, staring, "B-but…Taichou, you were married!"

Byakuya remained silent, a blush rising on his cheeks and throat. Rukia left her place at Ukitake taichou's side and approached her brother, her eyes wide with realization.

"You…you were worried about her health?" Rukia asked quietly, "You remained childless to protect her?"

"Not that it made a tremendous amount of difference in the end, but…yes," Byakuya answered, "Hisana and I were never together sexually. It had to be kept a secret, because if the elders had known, they would have annulled our marriage. I couldn't bear the thought of that."

"Nii-sama," Rukia whispered, taking his hand.

She looked up at the captain commander.

"So…Nii-sama is to be the Vessel?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes," confirmed Soutaichou, "He is to leave immediately to take Aizen Sousuke to the spirit dimension."

"B-but…" Renji stammered.

The room went silent and all eyes fastened on the two siblings. Byakuya gazed down into Rukia's eyes, relieved that she would be spared, then he released her hand and turned to go.

"Nii-sama," said Rukia, her eyes filling with tears.

"Taichou," said Renji, blinking back his own tears and taking Rukia's hand, "I will take care of her while you are gone."

"Arigato, Abarai fukutaichou," the noble said quietly.

The room remained silent as Byakuya left, and his footsteps faded into the distance.

"Oh my kami," Renji said finally, "We are _so_ screwed…"

Zaraki laughed softly.

"Yeah, maybe," he agreed, "But we're not nearly as screwed as your pretty taichou is…"


	2. The Greeting

**Chapter 2: The Greeting**

Byakuya left the first division in a daze, moving his body forward as duty said he must, but not quite feeling the truth of it inside. It all seemed too unreal.

_Our king has died childless…_

_And the only way to create a new heir to the royal line is to engage in the King's Rebirth Ritual._

_But, I must…_

Attempting to complete the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. He chose instead to focus only on taking one step at a time and only to deal with the cold, hard facts of what he was doing as they presented themselves.

_Of course, once we reach the spirit realm, I will need to have a plan in place. I cannot hope to be successful in bearing the new king if, at the end of the ritual, Aizen kills me. I must think of a way to keep him from killing me. A way that requires no zanpakutou and no shinigami powers…but how?_

He reached the sixth division and went inside to prepare for his journey. His heart skipped and fluttered nervously as he walked to his desk and stood in front of it, reaching up with a hand to begin unfastening his kenseiken. As his fingers touched it, the door slammed open and Renji burst inside.

"Taichou!" he exclaimed, "They told me you were here."

"Yes, Renji. You seem quite up in arms. What is wrong?"

Renji looked back at him incredulously.

"T-taichou! You just got told that you're being sent into the spirit realm with the responsibility of making the new king!"

"Yes."

"And not only that, you have to have sex with Aizen Sousuke…and not just once, again and again!"

"I _was_ present at the meeting, Abarai fukutaichou. And I do remember the parameters of my mission."

"But how can you just…go off and do this?" Renji asked worriedly, "Taichou, you…gomen nasai, but sexually, you are innocent. You have no idea what you are getting into!"

Byakuya gazed at him quietly for a moment.

"What you say is true, Renji, but I am only doing what I must. Would you rather that I refuse to go and allow our worlds to fail?"

"N-no, of course not. But…there has to be a way! There has to be a way for someone to go with you and protect you from that bastard! You can't go in there alone!"

Byakuya's eyes softened as realization fell over him.

"Renji," he said quietly, meeting his fukutaichou's red brown eyes with unusual affection, "Arigato…truly, I am grateful for your concern. However, because of the extremes of power that the ritual demands, there is no way for you to accompany me. It is simply the reality of the situation."

"Yeah…" said the redhead in a frustrated sigh, "I know that, Taichou, but I hate the thought of that son of a bitch putting his hands on you. If it wouldn't mean the end of our worlds, then I would just kill him now and we could all be rid of him!"

"I feel the same," Byakuya said, lifting his hands and beginning to undo the kenseiken.

Renji caught his breath in surprise as he was treated to the odd and almost frightening sight of his taichou removing all of the signs of his status and power, and reducing himself to looking like just another shinigami. He unclipped the kenseiken and slipped it out of the long strands of lovely, silken black hair. His hands shook slightly as he set it on his desk and then unwound the ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu from around his slender, pale throat. He removed his haori from around his shoulders and draped it over the back of his chair. Next, he removed the fingerless gloves, leaving him in just a plain shihakushou.

The last removal was the most painful…

Byakuya reached to his hip and pulled his sheathed sword from its place, then gazed at it in silence for several long minutes before laying it gently on top of his desk and turning back to Renji. He found himself touched by the deep concern in his fukutaichou's face. His genuine concern for Byakuya, a man whom he had once hated, but had grown to respect and care about, struck Byakuya with unusual strength as he stood ready to leave.

"Abarai fukutaichou," he said quietly, "You are in command during my absence. I shall expect that when I return, I shall find our division in perfect order."

"Hai, Taichou," Renji promised, his eyes still sad and worried.

"And Renji?"

"Hai?"

"While I am gone, I will request that you grant me a personal favor."

"Um…o-kay, Taichou?"

"You to discover who it was who compromised my sister's innocence, and…"

"Kill him?" asked Renji, "No problem, Taichou."

Byakuya was amused at how Renji could evince such warmth, while threatening someone with death…

"I was planning to go after the bastard myself! But yeah…while you're out saving the world, I'll find out who f—um, messed with Rukia and hurt him."

"Hmmm…"

"Taichou?"

"Perhaps you should wait for me to return, and we should hurt him together, ne?" he said in a voice so calm that it gave Renji a shiver.

"Oh! Oh, of course, Taichou! No problem! But, um, is it all right if I hurt him a little?" the redhead asked.

"As long as you don't reveal to him why, until I return to deliver the killing blow."

Renji laughed softly, but then saw the sadness retuning to the noble's gray eyes. He moved closer and smiled sadly.

"Taichou, before you go, I want to give you something…something to remind you that sex and love are two different things. And just because you have to have sex with that traitor, doesn't mean that you have to give him your love. Love should be kept for someone special…someone you really care about. Now, look, don't hit me, but if you are going to have to go and subject yourself to sex without love, then you should have a moment to remember what love feels like. We are not lovers, and kami knows, we probably never will be, but what I feel for you, Taichou, is another kind of love. And so, I can give you a moment that you can look back on and remember that while a kiss can be stolen, love never can."

Byakuya froze as Renji closed the distance between them and brought their lips together. Renji's heart pounded as he slid his arms around his taichou, and it almost stopped completely when he realized that, not only had Byakuya not hit him, but he was kissing him back. The deep, gray eyes were calm and half-lidded as his arms wrapped around his fukutaichou and their kiss deepened. Renji nearly jumped out of his skin as Byakuya's lips parted and his tongue stroked Renji's lips, then the redhead's lips parted and he accepted the deep warmth of Byakuya's tongue as it invaded his mouth and explored it thoroughly, for several long, breathtaking minutes. When Byakuya finally released him, Renji swayed dizzily and rested a hand on Byakuya's desk to keep himself steady.

"D-damn, Taichou!" he hissed, "Where the hell did you learn to kiss like that? I thought you were a virgin! You kiss a guy like that and he's going to forget about the fate of the three worlds and rip your clothes off then and there!"

"Well," said the noble, in that same calm voice, "I may not have had relations with Hisana, but I did kiss her quite frequently."

"Whew!" Renji muttered, trying to ignore the swell of hardness that made his hakama feel like it was too tight, "I think Hisana might have died from a heart attack from you teasing like that!"

"I wasn't teasing you, Renji," Byakuya reminded him, "It was your idea to kiss me."

His lips quirked slightly as he turned away and started towards the door.

"Remember the tasks I set you to," he said, looking back over his shoulder, "And Renji?""

"H-hai, Taichou?"

"Arigato, for reminding me what love feels like."

"Oh, ah…no, uh problem, Taichou."

Byakuya walked out and the door closed between them.

Renji dropped down at his desk and gazed down at the bulge in his hakama.

"No problem…r-right. Damn, I have a problem now. I'm not even gay and that was fucking hot! Note to self…maybe I'm bisexual after all!"

He shook his head, climbed back to his feet and went to his quarters to take care of his 'problem.'

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya shivered inside as the warmth of Renji's kiss left him and the coldness of his situation returned. He walked towards Central 46 with a calm outward expression, but inside, his heart quivered at what he was about to do. He remembered all too well, Aizen's soft, dead calm voice as it explained how he had betrayed them. Then later, he had heard the bastard's voice again as he used a kido spell to issue a warning of his intentions before trapping the four taichous in Hueco Mundo, with the intention of coming back to dispatch them one by one after defeating the Gotei 13 and creating the King's Key.

That voice made a sick feeling rise up inside him…made him quiver with rage. He wanted to kill the man for using Rukia in his plans, for hurting and killing so many in his plot to steal the crown from the rightful king. And to think that together they would be making the new king, made Byakuya feel dead inside.

He wondered if Aizen Sousuke's hands were cold, or if they were, like his voice, soft and deceptively warm…

Whatever Aizen Sousuke was like, he didn't really want to know. But he was going to know Aizen Sousuke all too well by the time his mission was completed.

A sudden flash step caught Byakuya's attention and he nodded in greeting as eighteen-year-old Kuchiki Tetsuya appeared beside him, looking riled.

"Well," he said in a frustrated tone, "It was kind of Soutaichou to give us some notice of his plans for you!"

"Has the council met, then?"

"Hai," Tetsuya said, frowning, "And they asked me to convey to you their condolences. But they see, as no doubt everyone does, we don't really have a choice in this. They are furious, however, that there is no protection for you. They were trying to think up ideas as I left."

"Arigato, Tetsuya," he said in acknowledgment, "But if the King's Council identified me for the ritual, then they must have thought that I had some kind of chance of success."

"Yes, of course. We thought of that, but thought it also a bit cheeky to tempt fate by not being prepared, ne?"

"Well," Byakuya said, stopping as they reached Central 46, "There's nothing to prepare really. I have to leave everything but myself, and Aizen will have his powers, but will be compelled by the King's Prism to act according to the dictates of the ritual."

"But he will have cognizance of how he is being used, Byakuya-sama," said Tetsuya, worriedly, "And I am certain that as soon as the ritual ends, he will seek to destroy you and the new king!"

"Well, I shall simply have to think of something to stop him then."

"I would go and stop him," Tetsuya said, unhappily, "If it was allowed!"

"It is too dangerous, Cousin," Byakuya said, placing a hand on Tetsuya's shoulder, "We are required to expose our soul cores during the ritual. And you are needed here, to keep the council from making any shocking moves in my absence."

"Ah," complained Tetsuya, "Reduced to putting out little fires, instead of the major blaze."

"I apologize, of course, but it really is necessary."

"Oh, I know. I just thought that you might want some company and an extra hand while you travel to the palace. I have Arashi waiting to carry us. Aizen will be transported on a wheeled pavilion, ne?"

"That is what I have been told. They are bringing it here to meet us."

"So, you will ride with me, then?" Tetsuya asked, hopefully.

"I will ride with you."

"Arigato," Tetsuya said, stepping away, "I will wait with the pavilion."

Byakuya nodded, then turned towards Central 46. He approached the gates and waited as his identity was confirmed and the doors opened for him. He entered the building and was met by a group of Secret Mobile Corps.

"Greetings, Kuchiki taichou," the officers said, bowing, "We will escort you to see the prisoner."

Byakuya followed them to the back of the building, then took an elevator down and walked the long, dreary corridor to the prisons. Once there, they took another guarded lift down to the eighth level. Guards stopped them to verify identities, then allowed them to pass. The officers with Byakuya took him to a heavily guarded door and opened it so that he could pass into the room. He felt, at once, the disturbing presence of the sealed hougyoku and then, the presence of the man that he had come to collect. Byakuya walked around to stand in front of him and watched as a guard stepped forward and removed the binding over Aizen's mouth and eyes. The traitor flinched in pain at the sudden return of light and squinted as his eyes slowly adjusted. His gaze swept over the second division officers, then came to rest on Byakuya.

"Why, Kuchiki taichou," he said in that maddeningly calm voice, "To what do I owe the honor of _your_ presence...and so beautifully underdressed?"

Byakuya remembered the warning that had been delivered with the hell butterfly outlining his mission.

_"Do not reveal your mission until you and Aizen have been locked within the palace. We don't want there to be any chance of him escaping the delegation sent to bring him to the spirit dimension."_

"We have been selected for a mission," the noble said quietly.

"A mission?" Aizen said, sounding amused, "And why would you think for a moment that I would help you?"

"That is unimportant," Byakuya said simply, "You will be coming with me to attend to something of importance to us all."

"Hmmm…" said Aizen, frowning, "It sounds as though I am not being given a choice. But it certainly beats spending all of my time bound and gagged. It's really quite boring. I do hope you plan to release me from these bindings at some point…"

"Not as long as that stone is still fused with you. I am not a stupid man, Aizen Sousuke, though, indeed, you made me look like one, when you used me against my own sister!"

"Ah, still angry about that, ne Kuchiki taichou? It was nothing personal, really. I only chose to use you two because it sent the proper message. I wanted…"

"I am not concerned with your excuses. I am only here to escort you on our mission."

He nodded to the handlers, who took hold of the wheeled restraints that held the former taichou. A guard started to cover his eyes and mouth again, but Byakuya laid a restraining hand on the man's arm.

"There is no need."

"B-but Kuchiki taichou! He is supposed to be…"

"If he misbehaves, we can certainly punish him by replacing them," Byakuya suggested, "But it is best for our mission if his eyes are recovered by the time we reach our destination."

"Hai, sir."

Byakuya walked silently alongside the restrained traitor as he was wheeled to the front of the building and lifted onto the pavilion.

"Arigato, Kuchiki taichou," Aizen said quietly as he was moved, "I haven't seen the sky in quite some time."

"I am aware of that," Byakuya said, turning away and climbing onto Arashi, behind Tetsuya.

The younger noble's eyes widened and his reiatsu flared at the sight of the former taichou, but he said nothing as the pavilion creaked into motion. Aizen's eyes took in the sky and scenery, and every so often, strayed to the noble taichou and clan leader, who sat astride his cousin's spirit steed, pointedly ignoring him.

_What are you about, Kuchiki taichou? Whatever you are planning, you will fail, and I will gain my freedom. You made a big mistake by bringing me out of the prisons._


	3. The Birthday Gift

**Chapter 3: The Birthday Gift**

Byakuya's heart began to pound painfully in his chest as the pavilion slowed and the group stopped at the guarded crossover point at the dimension wall. He felt Aizen's eyes settle on him, watching closely as each member of the delegation was carefully searched before being allowed to proceed into the spirit dimension. And seeing where he was, the traitor's eyes widened with deep curiosity. He glanced up at Byakuya, who was still looking away and trying to pretend Aizen didn't exist.

"Kuchiki taichou," he said quietly, "You did not tell me that we would be traveling to the spirit dimension."

"It was not necessary for you to know," Byakuya said shortly, "You will learn the details of our mission when we reach the palace."

"So we're to see the king?" said Aizen, sounding surprised, "Isn't he concerned I'll break free and kill him? He should be."

Byakuya's lips tightened.

"Our king is in no danger from the likes of you, Aizen Sousuke, and he never has been," the noble said sternly, "And even had you succeeded in murdering millions of people and creating the king's key, you would not have touched him. We would not have let you."

Aizen smiled.

"As I recall, you were locked away in Hueco Mundo, waiting for me to return to deprive you of your life, Kuchiki taichou. And I heard rumors that while so caged, you and Zaraki taichou nearly killed each other. I laughed to think that I wouldn't have had to fight the two of you at all. I need only have waited until you killed each other."

"I would never have fallen to that barbarian," said Byakuya in a low, threatening voice, "Neither would I have allowed myself to fall to you, knowing the cost to us all."

"What cost is that, Byakuya?" Aizen asked, smirking, "That perhaps the peasants would no longer face the disrespect and injustices hoisted upon them by the royals and nobles? That the noble families would have to stoop to making a living like everyone else, and you would lose your 'high and mighty' status?"

"Is that what you think matters to me, Aizen Sousuke?" asked Byakuya, nudging Arashi forward, "Then, you do not know me nearly as well as you pretend to."

He ignored Aizen's next words and focused on the palace as it rose up in the distance.

"Byakuya-sama…" Tetsuya exclaimed softly, his blue eyes widening at the sight of the enchanting scene ahead of them.

The spirit dimension, they discovered, seemed to lend surreal light to everything within it, so there was a softness, a haze to the very air around the classic gray castle that stood in front of them. There was also, Byakuya found, great artistry that went into the palace's design, the careful blending of texture and color to create a scene like that out of a fairy tale. It brought a sad smile to the stoic noble's lips as they moved forward and found the courtyard lined with solemn faced Royal Guardsmen, Palace Security and, in the background, servants and civilians come to glimpse the two who would be tasked with the making of the new king. The delegation moved slowly forward and all eyes stared at the odd, frightening sight of the three worlds' most wicked shinigami being wheeled into the palace he had sought to invade.

It didn't make sense at all to Byakuya…that the making of the new king could be rested in the hands of such a man. He wasn't supposed to question it, he knew. The King's Council had relied on the identification of the bonded pair by the King's Prism, a device that held the reiatsu and wisdom of all of the prior incarnations of the spirit king. Though it might seem like it had to be a cruel joke or a horrid mistake, it was real.

It was all too real…

At the end of the courtyard, the delegation halted. Byakuya and Tetsuya slid down off of Arashi's back and the stallion followed an attendant towards the stables. Byakuya, Tetsuya and the guards tending Aizen's restrained form, continued up a long ramp and into the castle. They were greeted in the entry by more palace guards, who wheeled Aizen away. The head of the King's Council emerged from one of the rooms within, and he bowed respectfully to Byakuya.

"Kuchiki taichou," he said solemnly, "Welcome to the royal palace. We understand that the situation we find ourselves in is a grave one, but your presence here gives us confidence that the rebirth ritual will be successful. Come, the council waits to meet with you."

Byakuya turned to Tetsuya and placed a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"Arigato, Tetsuya-kun. Your presence has been a comfort. Go now and get some rest and food. The sealing of the palace won't happen until tomorrow."

"As you wish, Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya said, bowing, "I will be back to meet with you before the sealing."

"Very well," Byakuya said, nodding, "I will see you then."

Tetsuya watched with concerned eyes as the council room door closed between them and he was left standing in the nearly empty entryway.

"Tetsuya-san?" said a youthful, male voice behind him.

Tetsuya turned and his blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Akio-kun!" he exclaimed, breaking into a welcoming smile, "Kami, it's been ages!"

He stepped forward, laughing softly as the other youth came closer, looking excited to see him, but cautiously stopped short of him. Tetsuya observed him for a moment, then grabbed him and hugged him tightly. Akio flushed, but after a moment of hesitation, returned the impetuous noble's embrace.

"Relax," chuckled Tetsuya, releasing him, "I don't bite."

"But it's not proper, Tetsuya-san," the king's attendant said, lowering his eyes, "You are a noble, and I…"

"Just barely," Tetsuya said, still smiling, "I'm a half-breed. You don't need to be so distant with me."

"Tetsuya-san, you shouldn't say that!"

"Well, it's true, ne?" the blue-eyed youth went on, "And if I was mistaken about anything, it was in my greeting. I should have greeted you as Akio-san. It is your eighteenth birthday today, right?"

Akio's blush deepened.

"Yes…" he stammered, "Tetsuya-san, you…remember?"

Tetsuya met the Akio's eyes warmly.

"Do you honestly think that I would forget my old best friend's birthday? Akio-san, you insult me!"

"I don't mean to," Akio said, still radiating inside with the warmth that had flooded him as Tetsuya embraced him.

The two youths stared at each other for a moment. Then, Akio seemed to remember himself.

"Oh, my apologies, Tetsuya-san. I know you have traveled quite a distance. Come, I have no duties to attend to for now. I will make you comfortable."

Tetsuya nodded and followed him down several long hallways and into one of the large, beautifully apportioned guest rooms.

"You've been riding Arashi, ne?" queried Akio.

Tetsuya nodded.

"Then, you'll likely want a bath before dinner. I would be happy to call some palace attendants…"

"It's fine, Akio-san. I can bathe myself," Tetsuya said, stepping into the bathroom.

"But…"

"Oh, I know, that's not proper," Tetsuya sighed, "and being that we're in the palace, I'd best conform, I imagine. So why don't you attend me? I want to catch up with you, anyway. And you did say you weren't busy, right?"

"W-well," Akio said haltingly, his eyes blinking as they studied the young noble's slender form, almost seeing the lovely, pale body beneath his uniform, "I don't have any pressing duties. I imagine, if that is what Tetsuya-san wants."

"Of course it is," said the noble, releasing the tie at his waist and waiting as Akio undressed him, "Akio-san, this place is amazing! This is the biggest bathing room I've ever seen! We have a room like this at Kuchiki Manor, but not nearly so big…but…you remember."

"Yes," Akio said, smiling as he thought about his time at the manor.

He watched for a moment as Tetsuya stepped into the warm water and waded out to the waterfall on the other side of the room. His eyes warmed as he took in the sight of his friend's tall, graceful body and the waves of raven black hair that rained down onto his straight back. He tried not to notice the sweet, lovely curve of the noble's white bottom, and turned his eyes away quickly as Tetsuya reached the waterfall and turned back to face him.

"Well," Tetsuya said, curiously, "Are you going to come in or not?"

"Ah…of course, Tetsuya-san," Akio said, regaining his wits.

He stepped out of his own clothes and waded out to join Tetsuya beneath the waterfall. He was grateful that the riled water was waist deep and bubbled so that one could not view what was just beneath the water's surface.

"I've missed you Akio-san," Tetsuya said, more softly, "Nothing was the same after you left for the spirit dimension. I was happy for you, of course…being placed at the king's side. But the days were much drearier and boring without you."

His eyes darkened slightly.

"I do wish you would come back to the Seireitei. It's selfish, but…"

"Tetsuya-san," Akio said, making the soap on his hands lather and rubbing the soap onto Tetsuya's shoulders and back, "You know I was lucky that I wasn't simply sent back to the Rukongai after…"

"That stupid old goat, Nori," Tetsuya said, his reiatsu flaring softly, "I mean, I don't know why he would bother to protect my _honor_, as it were. I was not going to be allowed to marry a noblewoman…and to have married outside the clan would have meant leaving Byakuya-sama's house. I couldn't bear to part ways with my cousin. Given that, it was ridiculous for him to react so strongly to one stolen kiss."

"One _completely inappropriate_ stolen kiss, ne Tetsuya-san?" said Akio, remembering.

Tetsuya laughed softly and leaned into the comfort of Akio's caressing hands.

"Of course it was inappropriate," he admitted, "But it was…what was in my heart. I do hope you won't hold it against me, Akio-san."

"Do not worry, Tetsuya-san," Akio said, leaning closer and massaging shampoo into Tetsuya's hair, "As much as I have missed being at Kuchiki Manor with you, I have been very happy here."

He lowered his eyes and his hands slowly dropped to his sides.

"Except for now," he went on, "I don't know if the new king will still want me to be his attendant. Eiji-sama and I were very close, but even though his reiatsu and wisdom will reside in the new king, it won't be him."

He blinked away a tear.

"I miss him horribly, Tetsuya-san. He was…so kind! And I told him about what happened with you, and he told me something that I have never forgotten."

"What was that?" Tetsuya asked, his eyes softening and locking on his friend's.

"He told me that being able to love across boundaries wasn't a sin. That love is a gift that he meant us to treasure. There was no dishonor in you giving in to your feelings of affection and kissing me…and there was no dishonor in me returning that kiss with all of my heart."

Tetsuya froze for a moment, gazing into his friend's eyes and feeling the swell of desire inside. And before he could stop himself, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Akio, fastening his mouth on the other youth's and closing his eyes. He thought that the attendant might resist, and he did feel pressure on his arms where Akio took hold of him. But the hands of his friend didn't push him away. Instead, they held on, and Akio pressed his body up against Tetsuya's as they parted their lips and continued to exchange deep, wet kisses beneath the waterfall.

XXXXXXXXXX

"The King's Council extends its greetings to Kuchiki Byakuya," said Head Councilor Yasushi, "I am certain that you have many questions. We will be happy to answer them to the best of our ability. We know that your choosing must have come as a great shock to you. We were not entirely taken by surprise, as you are a very strong shinigami…very worthy of the title of Royal Consort."

"I have to admit to being surprised by my choosing," Byakuya admitted, "But a greater source of confusion is that Aizen Sousuke was chosen for the ritual. I am sure that this council knows that imprisonment has not lessened the man's rhetoric, his aspirations, or the fact that the hougyoku remains fused with him. And from what I know of the ritual, I wonder how the new king will be protected from Aizen. I wonder how, bereft of my powers, I will survive long enough to complete the ritual."

Yasushi nodded and motioned to Councilor Fumio.

"Councilor Fumio is the one of us most familiar with the ritual. It was he who calmed our concerns when we had a like reaction. Fumio-san?"

"Of course, Yasashi-sama," Fumio said, looking up at Byakuya, "Kuchiki taichou, the King's Prism, as you know, is the device that holds the reiatsu and wisdom of all of the former kings inside it. As each king dies, his essence is preserved to be passed along to the next heir. If there is a crown prince, there is a ceremony that transfers the power and wisdom of the former kings to the new king. In the case that there is no heir, two strong shinigamis are chosen, one to be the gatherer and one to be the vessel. The gatherer draws reiatsu from the prism and renders it within his body, then places it within the vessel during multiple acts of mating."

"I understand that part," said Byakuya calmly, "But how am I to secure Aizen's cooperation in such a thing? I spoke to him as we traveled here and he is unwilling…even defiant."

Fumio shook his head.

"His defiance will not matter," the councilor said, with certainty, "Prior to the ritual's beginning, he will be immersed in the healing pool in the King's Garden."

"This will…leave him without his memory? It will brainwash him into helping?" Byakuya queried.

"No," answered Fumio, "Actually, he will be aware of his identity and his situation…his _exact_ situation, and please trust me when I tell you that Aizen Sousuke will agree to continue the ritual."

"You are that certain?" asked Byakuya, "How do you know?"

"I am sorry," Fumio said, shaking his head, "We are not allowed to reveal too much at once. I can tell you that everything has been taken into consideration and the King's Prism identified you as the one who could complete this mission successfully. You need to be certain that you take care of yourself during the ritual. We cannot leave any attendants or medical personnel. It is too dangerous, given the opening of your and Aizen's soul cores. You will be left to care for yourselves."

"And I do not imagine for a moment that Aizen Sousuke will go to any great lengths to care for me. But has this council given consideration for how I am to protect the new king and myself at the end of the ritual? Won't Aizen just see it as a good time to attack, given that he will have his powers and I will not?"

"He may decide to attack, but even though you will not regain your powers right away, the new king will have his powers."

"The new king? But…"

"The king is not born a helpless infant, Kuchiki-san. He is born fully grown and with his powers at full capacity."

"F-fully grown?" Byakuya repeated, trying to imagine.

"Do not worry," Fumio assured him, "You will not be harmed by the emergence of the king from your body. He will remain in reiatsu form until he has exited your body and then will solidify."

"I…see," said Byakuya, blinking away the discomfort he felt at the thought.

"Well," said the head councilor, "I am sure that after your journey here, you would enjoy a leisurely bath and a good meal. Then, in the morning, we will see to Aizen's Sousuke's preparation for the ritual and you and he will be sealed into the palace. This council is dismissed until our gathering in the King's Gardens tomorrow at nine o'clock."

An attendant stepped forward, bowed and indicated for Byakuya to follow him. Byakuya followed him out of the council chambers and off to his guest room, still as uncertain as he was before.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya slipped a hand into Akio's and silently led him back across the bathing pool. They stopped at the edge and dried off, then slipped into yukatas and returned to Tetsuya's guestroom. Tetsuya left his yukata open and slipped into bed, watching as Akio moved to join him. He paused beside the bed, gazing at Tetsuya's bared body and blushing. Tetsuya smiled silently, and offered him an extended hand. Akio climbed onto the bed and moved close to the noble, staring nervously into Tetsuya's amorous eyes and waiting.

"Are you…sure this is all right with you?" Tetsuya asked quietly, reaching out to touch the other youth's face, "I have been clear on my feelings for you for some time. I don't know about you…"

"I have felt the same, Tetsuya-san," answered Akio, holding still as Tetsuya brushed the hair away from his eyes and kissed him on a soft earlobe, "I will admit…I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't ever…I haven't even kissed anyone but you."

Tetsuya smiled warmly and brought their lips together again.

"Neither have I," he admitted softly, "And I have never forgotten you, Akio."

"Tetsuya-san…" Akio said, falling back as Tetsuya's mouth descended on his again.

"Just Tetsuya," the noble youth whispered, "We have no need of honorifics after this."

"Tetsuya," whispered the attendant as the noble's mouth covered his and that lovely, pale body came down to rest on his. Akio flinched at the touch of Tetsuya's heated length on his. The noble moved his hips, making Akio moan hungrily and push his hips upward. His mind went into a dizzy spin as Tetsuya's hardness rubbed enticingly against his.

"Do you like the way this feels?" the noble youth whispered in his ear.

"Oh…oh, Tetsuya-s…Tetsuya, oh, yes…I do!" Akio panted, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Tetsuya looked down into his uncertain eyes.

"We can stop anytime, if you feel uncomfortable," he said, nuzzling beneath the attendant's chin, "I will understand if you don't want to…"

"Do you want to?" Akio asked, looking up into the hypnotic blue eyes.

"More than anything," Tetsuya whispered, "But I can wait. I don't want to make you feel like you have to or anything. So just…tell me if you want to stop."

Akio nodded briefly as the two began to kiss again. Tetsuya began kissing his way down the other youth's body, lingering over the soft skin of his throat and gently teasing the erect, pink nipples that urged him on. He trailed a line of kisses down to Akio's navel, pausing to admire the lovely flush on the other youth's skin and the glint of need and desire that had come into his eyes.

"Beautiful," he breathed, invading Akio's navel with a devilish tongue.

Akio gasped and panted, his fingers sinking into the noble's soft hair and pushing with trembling hands, silently pleading for him to move lower. Tetsuya smiled and worked his way down to Akio's hard and leaking member. He met the youth's eyes for a moment, then wrapped a hand around the base and offered the shaft a teasing lick, making Akio gasp as his hips rose off the bed. Tetsuya paused for a moment, making sure that Akio's eyes betrayed no discomfort, then slowly lowered himself, wrapping his mouth around the other youth's length.

"Oh! Tetsuya-sa…Oh…oh…oh, I…"

Tetsuya sucked hard on the cock in his mouth, then moved up and down, placing a hand on Akio's hip to keep him from thrusting upward too hard.

"Tetsuya…" moaned Akio, "That is…oh…oh…"

Tetsuya let the attendant's cock slide out of his mouth.

"It feels good?" he asked.

"Augh," groaned Akio, writhing as Tetsuya's hand stroked him, "It feels…wonderful, Tetsuya!"

"Good," said the noble, wrapping his mouth around the other youth's length again. He continued the intense stimulation, and at the same time slipped three fingers into Akio's mouth. Akio wet Tetsuya's fingers and began to shiver nervously as Tetsuya sucked harder, and then carefully pushed a finger inside him.

"Oh…" Akio groaned.

"Does it hurt?" asked Tetsuya.

"No…no, go on."

Tetsuya smiled and continued to lick and suck the attendant's think erection as Akio panted and shifted, moaning louder as he became more and more aroused. Tetsuya added a second finger, sucking harder to distract the attendant, and then carefully bringing him closer and closer to climax. He watched Akio's face closely as he reached orgasm, pushing a third finger inside him and then slowing to enjoy the eruption of deep pleasure across the other youth's features and the loud, gasping moans he yielded as he came into Tetsuya's mouth.

The noble youth barely had the presence of mind to remember to swallow, so caught up as he was in watching his lover surrender to bliss. He choked slightly and coughed, then licked away the remains of Akio's release before resuming his preparation of the other youth for his first penetration.

He returned to Akio's hungry lips, pleased when his lover whispered how good it had felt…how he wanted more…how he never wanted Tetsuya to leave him.

"I won't leave you, my Akio," Tetsuya answered, burying the youth's mouth in hard, desperate kisses, "After this, we will be together always, ne?"

"But how…?" asked Akio.

"Never you mind how," Tetsuya whispered, parting the other youth's thighs and settling between them.

He pushed the head of his erection into Akio's entrance, waiting as the attendant made a soft exclamation of pain and shifted nervously. He worked his way in slowly, taking Akio's length in his hand and stroking him until it was hard again. Once he was buried in his lover's body, he looked down into Akio's gleaming eyes and smiled enchantingly.

"Happy birthday, Akio," Tetsuya whispered, "Aishiteru yo."

Akio tried to answer, but found himself unable as a lump rose in his throat and tears rose in his eyes. Tetsuya moved his hips and then began a gentle thrusting, watching as pleasure and happiness again overtook Akio's youthful features. Moments later, neither had hold of his senses as their mouths found each other again and their bodies thrust heatedly against each other. Their voices rose up in sweet, soft, moans of pleasure, intensifying and growing louder as they reached a precipice together and tumbled over into absolute bliss. Akio's hands gripped Tetsuya's bottom hard as the noble's body seized and heat seared the attendant's insides. Tetsuya's mouth devoured the other youth's scream of pleasure as hot seed pulsed onto their skin.

They laid together, their bodies still entangled, kissing each other until sleep overtook them and they drifted off in each other's arms.

"Tetsuya," Akio whispered, gazing dizzily at the lovely face that rested on his shoulder, "Aishiteru yo…aishiteru yo…"

Neither noticed some time later, when a tap sounded on the door and then it opened. Byakuya peeked into the room, and seeing his cousin resting in the arms of his former attendant, he raised an eyebrow and shook his head, then sighed and retreated from the room, closing the door again as he left.


	4. The Sealing

**Chapter 4: The Sealing**

Akio stirred softly, then opened his eyes to find Tetsuya gazing quietly back at him. The noble's fingers were still entangled with his and Tetsuya's free arm curled around his body, holding them close together. The noble's hungry lips captured his before he could speak, and the kisses felt and tasted so good that he almost surrendered to another sweet bout of lovemaking. But as Tetsuya's strong body wrapped around his, Akio's eyes caught sight of the clock and went wide with distress. He pulled away from Tetsuya suddenly and rolled to his feet, leaving his lover staring after him.

"What is it?" Tetsuya asked, catching himself as he nearly tumbled off the bed.

"The time!" exclaimed the king's attendant, "We'll be late for the sealing ceremony!"

He caught Tetsuya's hand and pulled him towards the closet, where the young noble's clothes had been placed.

"Akio," Tetsuya said, taking hold of the formal kimono that the attendant had selected for him, "If you take the time to dress me, then we will be late for certain."

"Oh," said the flustered attendant, "but…"

"Just let me take care of myself. And here," Tetsuya said, taking one of his kimonos and handing it to Akio, "You haven't time to go back to your room and dress. Just use that for now."

Akio looked back at Tetsuya, as though wanting to argue, but then, looking at the clock, he realized that the noble was right and they were, indeed, running out of time. The two dressed quickly, then Akio took Tetsuya's hand and pulled him toward one of the walls in the room. The noble blinked in surprise and his blue eyes widened as the wall opened up, exposing a hidden passageway. Noting Tetsuya's expression, Akio explained as they ran into the passageway and the door sealed behind them.

"As a king's attendant, I am able to use these passageways to move quickly from place to place within the castle. Only his majesty, his bodyguards and I can open them.

"Amazing!" breathed Tetsuya as they flash stepped through the passageway and emerged into the King's Gardens. Tetsuya gasped softly at the incredible size and overwhelming beauty of the gardens. Winding pathways led of in multiple directions through thick groves of varied types of trees, vast open meadows cut through with streams that meandered about, and dotted with a breathtaking array of flowers.

"Akio!" Tetsuya whispered.

"Come on," his lover said, taking his hand, "They will be starting soon!"

Tetsuya spotted Byakuya and regretfully parted from Akio to rejoin his cousin. Byakuya nodded in greeting as Tetsuya approached him, smiled and bowed.

"Good morning, Byakuya-sama," he said, "My apologies for nearly being too late. Sleeping in an unfamiliar place seems to have thrown me off."

"Hmmm," said Byakuya, raising an eyebrow skeptically, "I think that it may also have been that someone else had your attention last night. Not that I mind. I know it has been a long time since you have seen Akio-kun."

"Ah," said Tetsuya, a blush rising on his cheeks, "so you…"

"I did not mean to intrude, Tetsuya-san, I merely thought to speak to you, but discovered that you were already asleep."

Tetsuya swallowed hard and his eyes softened.

"Are you angry with me, Byakuya-sama?"

The clan leader sighed softly and regarded the anxious youth with affectionate eyes.

"Tetsuya-san, you are no longer a boy. No one needs to tell you what is right and wrong. I know that you are aware of the difficulties that you and Akio will face, and I know you will consider your choices carefully as you move forward."

"Arigato, Byakuya-sama," the younger noble said in a relieved tone, "Thank you for understanding!"

He paused and looked over at where a group of guards surrounded Aizen Sousuke's still bound form, beside the healing pool.

"But enough about me, Cousin," Tetsuya said more quietly, "You must be quite anxious. It is only minutes until the sealing. Is there anything that I can do?"

"What is to happen will happen," Byakuya said solemnly, his eyes straying to where Aizen waited, "The only thing you can do for me is to stand with me until the sealing. Tetsuya-san, there is something that I would tell you now, before we are parted."

"What is that, Byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"It is something that has been between us for some time now, and I think we are both aware of it, though we've never said the words."

Tetsuya remained frozen in place, his eyes riveted on his cousin's face as Byakuya continued.

"You are the son of a noble man and his peasant wife. You were born shortly after I lost my wife, and given into my hands to raise by your father, while he lay on his deathbed. I accepted responsibility for you because I loved my cousin, Takao, and my heart was broken at losing him. And caring for you was a way to care for the cousin I lost. Yet there was more to our bond even than that."

He paused and touched his cousin's face with gentle fingertips, gazing into his eyes. Tetsuya looked back, his blue eyes taking on a lovely wistfulness.

"I never told anyone this until the king was killed and it was necessary to admit it and take my place here to perform the King's Rebirth Ritual."

"B-byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya whispered, going breathless at the intensity of the clan leader's gaze.

"Because of her failing health, I never laid with Hisana. And because of that, I never had a child."

The younger noble paled and continued to stare at him wordlessly.

"In the wake of her death, I never sought love again. I could not bear another loss like that. But when Takao died and he placed you in my hands…a helpless child…beautiful and so very fragile, I found that my heart could still love with abandon, that I could leave fear behind and let myself love you with a whole heart. That was your gift to me."

A tear slid down Tetsuya's face and Byakuya brushed it away.

"You have grown strong and very powerful. Your abilities exceed that of even your full noble cousins. And I have guided you to a seat on our council. That is far more than most half-blooded relatives are allowed. But you have distinguished yourself beyond even that. You have won the respect of the rest of the councilors to the point where I was allowed to name you heir to the leadership of our clan. Should I not return from this mission, then you will be granted leadership in my stead."

"B-but…" Tetsuya stammered, "Byakuya-sama, I am not…I'm…!"

"My own child with Hisana would have been half-blooded as well…and despite that, would have been considered for clan leadership based on his powers. Your father was respectably powerful, and he was considered, as I was, for leadership of the clan. Your Kuchiki blood is strong enough, and your abilities in battle and diplomacy make you stand out. I am made proud by your accomplishments, and your parents would be proud as well. You are the son I wish that I could have had, a source of great happiness and pride, and I know you will do well caring for the clan until my return."

"You are…?"

"I am placing you at the head of the Kuchiki clan until I return. And if I do not return, you are to be the heir to that leadership."

Tetsuya took a shuddering breath and gazed at his cousin and leader for another breathless moment, then broke all boundaries and wrapped his arms around Byakuya, embracing him tightly and shaking like a leaf.

"You are going to come back," Tetsuya whispered, "and you are going find love again. And when you have your children with this one you love, I will serve and protect them with all of my strength. I will never need to serve a day as leader of the Kuchiki clan. That is not where my heart is. My heart is with the one who has cared for me since before I could walk. I do not seek to lead the family, only to make you happy and proud. I will lead for now, as you ask, but once you return, I pray you will open your heart and find love again. We all need that, Byakuya-sama. We need it the way we need air to breathe!"

Byakuya gave him a small smile and nodded briefly, then released Tetsuya.

"Go then, and make me proud, Tetsuya-san."

"I will," his cousin promised, "although, if it was possible, I would much rather stay here and help to keep you safe. I still think it is insane that you are to be left unprotected with Aizen…and without your own powers…"

"The king, I am told, will be born with his full powers," Byakuya explained, "and his powers will be sufficient to protect us."

Tetsuya shook his head, still looking unconvinced. Byakuya opened his mouth to say more, but closed it again as the King's Council entered the gardens and motioned for Byakuya to join them at the edge of the healing pool. He took his leave of Tetsuya and his younger cousin moved to join Akio nearby. His blue eyes watched as Byakuya approached the edge of the healing pool, and he leaned over and whispered into Akio's ear.

"I have been thinking," he whispered, "about those passages you showed me."

Akio's eyes widened.

"You told me last night that you were as convinced as I am that it is a mistake to leave the new king without anyone to protect him. I also am worried that my cousin, being without powers after the ritual, will face certain death at Aizen's hands."

"Tetsuya…" Akio breathed, shaking his head, "Tetsuya, we…we couldn't!"

"You know this castle from end to end, Akio," Tetsuya, "And I have a power that will allow us to slip away…and they won't notice until it is too late!"

"Tetsuya…!"

"Do you want to help them? Do you want to make sure that Aizen does not hurt them?"

Akio swallowed hard.

"You…know we'll be punished…"

"Are you more afraid of that, or are you more determined to be there for our king?" asked Tetsuya, "Please, Akio, I must be there for them!"

There was a long pause and then Tetsuya caught his breath as a warm hand settled on his arm.

"I don't think I need to say the answer aloud, Tetsuya. You know already the contents of my heart, and if it is not enough to want to protect my king from Aizen, then it is quite enough to want to protect my lover from foolishly throwing away his life by trying to do this alone. Take what action you must, then. If we are going, then we must go now, before they begin the ritual."

A smile crept onto Tetsuya's youthful face and his fingertips touched the zanpakutou at his hip. The two youths stepped away from their forms, taking on nearly invisible watery shapes and fading slowly back into the castle as the councilors gazed at their leader, who motioned for the ceremony to begin.

Byakuya stood beside the healing pool, his heart pounding as the inevitability of what was happening passed over him. The head councilor stepped forward, holding the King's Prism and guiding Byakuya into position in front of Aizen. The former taichou stared at the artifact, his brown eyes widening as he recognized it.

"The King's Prism?" he mused, "But that means…"

"His majesty was killed," the head councilor said shortly, "and you and Kuchiki Byakuya have been selected to undertake the King's Rebirth Ritual to bring forth his successor."

Aizen stared at him in silence for a moment, then began to laugh madly. The councilors glared at him and the head councilor went on.

"We did not choose you for this ritual, Aizen Sousuke. It was, in fact, the King's Prism that chose the two of you for this ritual. We would have gladly left you to rot in the prisons of Central 46, however, the spirits of the kings of the past were in unanimous agreement that the two of you should perform the ritual."

"Well," said Aizen with calm sarcasm, "as much as my choosing intrigues me, I have no intention of helping to bring forth any king other than myself. You are fools to entrust this to me. I tell you now that I will destroy the new king before he draws breath. I already know that I will have to master the King's Prism to steal the throne. I will do that and I will become king, myself. You are idiots if you think that Kuchiki Byakuya will be strong enough to protect the reborn king. I will kill as soon as you loose me."

The head councilor gave him a cryptic smile.

"You will try, we are certain of that," he said softly, "but we trust in the vision of our kings. We will begin the ritual as instructed and leave the rest to you."

Aizen smirked.

"As you will, then," he breathed, giving Byakuya a chilling sideways glance, "The sooner we begin, the sooner you will all perish."

The head councilor glowered at the words, but took Byakuya's hand and led him into the healing pool. Byakuya stood quietly as his hands were placed on the King's Prism and the head councilor whispered the words invoking the ritual. Soft golden light rose around the pale noble and ribbons of water from the pool rose and began to encircle his body. Byakuya shivered as the water touched him, although it felt warm on his skin. He swallowed hard and held his breath as he felt the prism flare. Golden light and blue water shrouded him, then slowly sank into him. His vision faded and solemn voices sounded in his mind.

_"Kuchiki Byakuya, welcome to the King's Garden. Do not be afraid, we must remove your powers and your connection to your zanpakutou for the duration of the ritual to create room for the developing king, but you will be protected. Open your heart. Trust our voices. Allow your reiatsu to be pulled into the prism. It will be safe there, and your king will restore you when the ritual is done."_

_"But…what of Aizen Sousuke? He has already said he will kill me and the new king! How…?"_

_"Have faith. As we have told you, you will be protected. And we will lay the foundation for that protection now!"_

Byakuya barely bit back a cry of distress as the prism flared in his hands and began to pulsate. With each pulse, more and more of his reiatsu drained away and Senbonzakura's presence seemed farther and farther away. He shuddered as weakness flooded his body and he dropped onto his knees. A tear slid down his cheek as Senbonzakura's voice left him entirely and intense loneliness flooded his heart. He remained on his knees as the light from the prism faded away and the waters around him receded, leaving him kneeling in the healing pool, his body shaking softly. The head councilor left him there and motioned for Aizen to be brought forward. The other councilors wheeled him into the healing pool, then returned to the edge and watched as the head councilor touched the King's Prism to his bound hands and whispered to the artifact.

"It isn't going to work," Aizen said, frowning, "No matter what you intend to do, you will not stop me from killing them!"

The head councilor remained silent as the prism's golden light flared again and the water rose up and curled around the former taichou's bound form. Aizen screamed as water and light sank beneath his skin and it seemed that fire had erupted everywhere around him. His chest was seared and he heard the cries of the hougyoku as it came into contact with the presence of the kings of the past.

_"Aizen Sousuke, perhaps you are curious as to why you were chosen. Perhaps you entertain the possibility that you were chosen because of your great power or your massive intellect. Be assured that neither was a reason. You are not worthy to be chosen for such a ritual. We tell you now that the reason the old king allowed himself to die was because his life would have ended soon anyway. And by allowing for the invocation of the King's Rebirth Ritual, we have found the only known way…to separate you from the hougyoku…to erase all knowledge of its creation from your mind…and to destroy it!"_

_"You cannot destroy the hougyoku!" Aizen hissed, "No one can! I am its creator. I know!"_

_"You are not the creator of the hougyoku, Aizen Sousuke!" the past kings' voices howled, "It is the other way around! The hougyoku existed first, and it sought a shinigami of sufficient power to carry it to the spirit dimension. The hougyoku came to be as the king crafted the three worlds. An aberration that sprang out of the creative energies of the first king, he never intended for it to be. But sensing its birth, he banished the spirit into the world of the hollows, trapping it there. It lay there, unable to come to life until you passed into that land and it entered your mind and corrupted you!"_

_"Lies!" Aizen cried, "I am the hougyoku's creator and its only master! You cannot destroy it! No one can!"_

_"Watch then…"_

Aizen screamed and tried to release the prism, but power exploded around him, flooding his body and centering in his chest. It swelled and throbbed until the ground shook around them and the hougyoku within the restrained shinigami screamed along with him. The hougyoku shuddered and howled in protest as the power flooding it rose until the body Aizen had given it shattered and the combined power of all of the past kings descended upon it. The hougyoku gave a last, distressed shriek, then exploded and slowly faded away. Aizen groaned in shock and pain and fell to his knees in the water.

_"We have freed you of the hougyoku's power," said the voices of the king's, "and we have returned to you the power to determine your own path."_

_"You!" gasped the fallen leader of the hollows, "I will DESTROY YOU! I may have lost the hougyoku, but I still have my powers, and I will recreate it!"_

_"How?" asked the kings, "Where is the knowledge that led you to it before? We explained that the hougyoku was made from the first king's creative energies. It only came to you because you entered Hueco Mundo and it invaded your mind. The hougyoku no longer exists, and you cannot recreate it! If you still think that you can, then tell us how you created it before!"_

Aizen's mind whirled as he tried desperately to connect with the knowledge that had led to the creation of the hougyoku. But where he had connected with that knowledge easily before, there was an emptiness in his mind where it had been.

_"What did you do to me? What did you do?" he screamed._

_"The empty place in your mind is the place that the hougyoku overtook and corrupted. As we have said, we brought you here to undo the mistake made by the first king when he made our worlds. You still have your own powers, and now you again have the freedom to make your own decisions."_

_"And I will use my free will then to destroy Kuchiki Byakuya and the new king!"_

_"You would try to end all worlds?" asked the kings, "Even knowing you would die as well?"_

_"I will not die," insisted Aizen, "And I will never bow to a new king! You…"_

Aizen froze as the waters around him opened and curled around Byakuya again as well. Outside, the councilors left the garden and moved back to the palace gates, closing them and whispering the spell of sealing.

Within the garden, Aizen stared at Byakuya's bowed head as the water swirled around them and the bonds restraining him suddenly shattered. Screaming in fury, Aizen summoned his zanpakutou and raised it high over his head, then started to bring it down upon the kneeling noble. As it fell, blue, watery tendrils rose out of the healing pool, wrapping around his wrists, ankles and waist, stopping the blow from landing and carefully binding him to Byakuya. The prism he held flared again and a bright white tendril emerged and curled around his body, then paused for a moment before sinking deeply into his midsection and fusing with his spirit centers. The other end off the tendril wrapped itself around Byakuya and slowly fused with his spirit centers.

Aizen snarled in fury and tried to tear himself free. The King's Prism flared and he found himself frozen in place. Byakuya's head lifted and the noble's gray eyes fastened on his. And Aizen Sousuke was surprised to see that Byakuya looked as resistant to what was happening as he was. The noble's body quaked with emotion and his eyes were wide and distressed. He realized then, with chilling certainty what was being done, and suddenly understood how the kings were ensuring that he would not kill Byakuya as they engaged in the ritual.

"Soul bonding…" he mused as their life forces flowed into the white tendril, blended with each other and flowed back into them again, "Did you know they were going to do this, Byakuya? Did you sell your life so that the hougyoku would be destroyed and our fates would be bound together like this?"

Byakuya met his eyes with a deeply shattered expression.

"I was only told that the rebirth ritual would restore the king," the noble whispered.

Aizen closed his eyes and sighed as the white tendril between them faded.

"What a joke," he breathed, opening his eyes again and gazing into Byakuya's eyes, "They threw you away like a piece of trash, Kuchiki Byakuya…just to destroy the hougyoku and to force me to cooperate. Now, the hougyoku is gone, and I cannot kill you without killing myself too."

"And the gardens will not be unsealed until the king's successor is born…or until our worlds crumble and everything is shaken apart. I will not be angry at them for trading my life in an attempt to stop it…even though it leaves me bonded with you, Aizen Sousuke," Byakuya said quietly.

Aizen stared at him, anger plain in his features. Then he struck out at the noble, making him splash down into the water. Byakuya crawled to the edge of the healing pool as Aizen climbed out and struck him again, knocking him backwards into the pool.

"Why don't you fight back?" Aizen asked, summoning his zanpakutou, "Why do you simply allow me to attack? Are you so sure that I won't kill you?"

He raised the blade over Byakuya again and watched as the noble climbed to his feet and backed away.

"What is wrong with you?" Aizen asked, closing in on him, "Summon your blade! Fight!"

He stared at the silent noble, reading the dark expression, then sheathed his sword and moved forward. He raised a hand to Byakuya's face and studied him for a moment.

"You have no powers…" he mused, "Alone with me, powerless and not only that. Even if we escape this place, we are still bonded for life. What a sorry state you are in, Kuchiki Byakuya. If I was in your shoes, I would wonder that I could be treated with such disregard. Yet, I would wager that even now, you would defend him to the very end."

"I was only born because he willed it. I live for many reasons, but sometimes the freedoms we are given require sacrifice. I wager you made sacrifices in your attempt to master the hougyoku and to kill the king. I am no different. I will make peace with what is required, and I will trust that this is necessary and not blame him for it."

"Fool!" hissed Aizen, striking him again and watching with furious eyes as he crashed down into the water again.


	5. The First Mating

**Chapter 5: The First Mating**

Aizen Sousuke picked up the King's Prism and left Byakuya behind in the healing pool.

He surreptitiously watched as the noble cupped his hand and gathered water, then spilled it onto his skin where Aizen had struck him. The bruises slowly faded away and Byakuya stood. He removed the white yukata he wore and walked to the waterfall, where he stood naked, beneath the rush of water, letting it run through his hair and down his back. He remained there, watching Aizen as he gazed down at the King's Prism, while still observing Byakuya out of the corner of an eye.

_You bastards think you have gotten the best of me! Well, think again. Perhaps the hougyoku is gone and the way to make it is gone from my mind, but once I master the King's Prism, all knowledge of the old kings will be mine…and so will the path to remaking the hougyoku. And with the hougyoku's wisdom, I can take the throne. I can remake the worlds the way they should be…_

He watched as Byakuya turned and stepped out from under the waterfall, his pale, bared form glowing in the soft light of the gardens, and water streaming down the lovely curves of his body. Aizen had always been aware of the noble's beauty. It had, in fact, figured into his decision to use Rukia in his plans. Byakuya was everything a noble was supposed to be…beautiful, powerful, strong, intelligent and wise. With the exception of his dalliance with that peasant girl years before, he had defined the dignity, respect, honor and obedience that all nobles were supposed to aspire to. And in striking at Byakuya personally, he had intended to strike at the very idea of nobility.

_They parade around, dressed in beautiful clothes and surrounded with all of the comforts that wealth provides. They have been granted higher powers and leadership, but for the most part, this is lost on them. They are exalted over the peasant class, but they are still servants. The nobles are a lovely and treacherous deception. By rewarding them so richly, the kings blind them to the fact of their position beneath the royals. And by giving them the peasants to lord over, the kings give the nobles a false sense of supreriority. But they are, in the end, just glorified servants…servants of gods who lack either the power or the interest to manage the worlds they created._

_I would topple them all so that class would not matter. A man would be judged on his power, his strength, intelligence and ability to lead. A leader would not stand by and allow his people to suffer needlessly. He would not allow the inequalities that are rampant in our society._

He was distracted from his thoughts by a sudden soft glow that rose around the prism, making him frown and blink questioningly.

"What are you up to?" he mused softly, looking more deeply into the prism's shining facets.

Byakuya looked up from where he knelt in the shade of a nearby tree. He watched solemnly as Aizen's body gradually stilled and the light from the glowing artifact wrapped lazily around him. The noble came to his feet, his gray eyes widening as the power around Aizen and the prism grew stronger. He dropped to his knees in front of the former taichou, his heart pounding, and observed silently as the light from the prism slowly began to flow out and into Aizen's spellbound form. As the power flooded the brown-eyed shinigami's body, his eyes glazed over and he seemed to lose awareness.

Held captive by the prism's power, Aizen Sousuke felt as though he was falling into the artifact. His body quivered as he was held tightly in place and golden light flooded his entranced form. He wrapped his mind around the incoming power and tried to bend it to his will, but there was something to it that prevented him from being able to tap into the power, something that held it apart from him, while yet allowing his body to gather it and to hold it inside.

_The power coming in is raw, creative power, _he realized, _This is the reiatsu that is to make the new king…_

But even realizing that fact, and knowing how he was being used, gave the brown-eyed former taichou no clue as to how to turn that power to his own use. He fell to observing as the power continued to flow into him, slowly filling his body until he glowed from within. He felt Byakuya watching, sensed the noble's intent gaze and rising anxiety. As the prism's light faded and the artifact went quiet and dark again, the golden light continued to glow around Aizen's body, and he felt something beginning to happen inside him.

_It seems that my body renders the new reiatsu without thought…as though such a thing was natural._

The rendering caused no pain, and in fact was somewhat of a relief after the odd sensation of being filled. As the rendering continued, Aizen edged forward to look down into the healing pool. His breath caught softly as he encountered his reflection on the water's surface. His body shined with the intensity of a small sun and his eyes, hair, finger and toenails had all gone golden.

_This must be the revealing of the soul core, and the effect of the gathering and rendering of the developing king's reiatsu. There must be a way to tap into that power, to use it, or to shed it…_

He stood and walked away from the healing pool, finding an area of the gardens strewn with large stones and attempting to use the power in the reiatsu to fire kido at the stones. But the power that emerged from him was still his own, and no matter how he tried, he could not turn the rendering reiatsu to his use. He paused and ran a hand over his face as he felt the rendering slow, and an odd feeling began to overtake him.

It began as a feeling of over-fullness, as though he had eaten too much. Then, inside, he felt a burgeoning restlessness, an anxiety that seemed to come from the reiatsu inside him. And when his eye caught sight of Byakuya, sitting quietly at the edge of the healing pool, watching him, an intense sense of need rose up in him. He, of course, resisted. He wanted to see how much control he could exert over the process.

But as he resisted the urge to move closer to the silent noble, the reiatsu within him began to burn, softly at first, then hotter as time went on. His body pulsated with power and he began to feel intensely aroused. Looking at the noble who remained at the edge of the healing pool only intensified his arousal even more. Gradually, the arousal and the burning of the rendered reiatsu became painful. He panted softly as his body throbbed and ached, and his mind saw Byakuya's lovely, kneeling form, even when he shut his eyes.

Finally, the need began to overpower him. He moved in slow steps back across the garden. Byakuya looked up at him as he approached, the gray eyes betraying his uncertainty as Aizen closed in on him. He came to his feet and stood solemnly as Aizen stopped in front of him. Aizen's golden eyes and power-laden form held him in place. He waited breathlessly as the odd golden orbs fastened on him, held him in place, then seemed to sink into him as Aizen closed the distance between them and slid his arms around the suddenly entranced noble.

Held fast by Aizen's eyes and gripped in his possessive arms, Byakuya froze as power flared around the two of them and the former taichou began to lower him to the ground. And as much as his instinct was to pull away from this man he knew despised him, his hands tightened and clenched as he was laid down on his back and Aizen opened the white yukata he wore. Aizen's eyes raked his body, leaving him flushed and breathless as the brown-eyed shinigami's hands quickly bared and began to explore him. He closed his eyes as Aizen's hands tightened on him and the former taichou's movements became less controlled…more urgent and wanting.

He made a soft hiss of discomfort and shivered involuntarily as Aizen's impatient hands parted his thighs and the man's wet fingers invaded his body and hastily prepared him. He hadn't any intention of fighting the contact, but as Aizen shifted his body to position himself to enter him, sudden, intense fear rose up inside him, and he tore himself away from Aizen's hands. He backed away, staring into the other man's power-laden eyes, panting hard and shaking with apprehension.

He knew what was expected of him and tried to make his body obey him, but could not force himself to move closer to Aizen again. The traitor's golden eyes transfixed him, and a shiver went through him as the other man flash stepped forward and brought him down onto his stomach on the grass beside the healing pool. There was no hesitance in Aizen's body as it carefully trapped his and dropped down onto his back. Byakuya gave a gasp of distress as his thighs were forced apart and Aizen entered him roughly from behind. Hot breath touched the back of his neck and his shoulder as the man on top of him thrust harshly into his trapped body, ignoring completely the sounds of pain that escaped him. The noble's fingers dug into the grass beneath his hands and his body struggled fitfully to free itself from Aizen's as the former taichou's body thrust relentlessly into his and Aizen closed his eyes and panted heavily against a quivering, pale shoulder. And even knowing as he did that Aizen had no control over the instinct to mate, he hated the man on top of him with an intensity that bordered on madness. Rage flooded him from end to end, and he was filled with an overpowering desire to tear the man apart with his bare hands.

But as Aizen's body continued to move atop his, he slowly regained control of his emotions, forcing down the heady swell of hatred and sliding into weary acceptance. After a time, Aizen's body slowed and the man's breathing became harsh. Then he stopped moving altogether, and Byakuya felt a gripping jolt of pain as Aizen's body shuddered against his, and the first of the rendered reiatsu was delivered into his body in blazing hot pulses that burned his insides and left him feeling sick to his stomach and achingly weak. Aizen collapsed, still on top of him and buried deep inside him. And as much as he hated the man and wanted to get as far away from him as he possibly could, he was held down by Aizen's senseless body, and was so dizzy and nauseous that he dared not move anyway. He turned his face into the crook of an arm and blinked away the angry tears that had risen in his eyes. Slowly, exhaustion of body and spirit overtook him, and he drifted off, still trapped beneath his enemy's body.

He woke again, he wasn't sure how much later, to the feeling of fingers spreading the satin strands of his hair over his back. Rage and disgust returned swiftly, and he threw off the man on his back and scrambled away from him, hastily closing his yukata and tying it back in place with trembling hands. Aizen's cool eyes regarded him with something that looked oddly like sympathy as he sat quietly, a short distance from the noble, making no move towards him.

"I had no idea you were a virgin," he said quietly, "until I sensed your thoughts while I was with you…a 'gift' of our bonding, I suppose you would call it."

Byakuya glared at him silently.

"My apologies for treating you with such disregard. I waited too long before giving in to the urge to mate, and lost control in the end. I am sorry that your first experience was so unpleasant. You should allow me to heal you, Byakuya."

The noble struck out at the hand that reached for him and backed away.

"Do not touch me," he hissed warningly, "I have not agreed to _anything_ beyond the boundaries of the King's Rebirth Ritual. The only time you are to put your hands on me, is when the ritual requires it!"

Aizen shook his head and sighed.

"I wouldn't have put my hands, or anything else on you at all, Byakuya, had your precious kings not overcome my will and forced me into it. I assure you that I took no pleasure in hurting you."

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya said mockingly, "Wasn't it you who said that you hated the aristocracy? Isn't that why you turned on us and betrayed us? And as I recall, you took great pleasure in using Rukia against me, because you saw _me_ as the living model of that political system you so hated. Don't you _dare_ look at me now with sympathy in your eyes, Aizen Sousuke! You despise me and you couldn't care less about hurting me."

"I understand your anger," Aizen said calmly, "but you should at least go into the healing pool and address your injuries. I will leave you alone to tend to them."

He turned away and disappeared into a nearby grove of trees, leaving the furious noble staring after him. Byakuya watched him go, then turned in the direction of the healing pool. He stood at the edge of the pool, his body still shaking softly with rage and revulsion. But for some reason, the thought of the king's power touching him hurt worse than the aches in his body. And a moment later, he turned away from the pool and walked instead to a nearby sakura tree. He settled gingerly beneath its branches and lifted his eyes to the huge full moon. He sat, absorbing the soft, calming light until weariness stole over him and he dropped down onto the cold ground. Ignoring the fact that the cold made him shiver, he surrendered to a troubled sleep beneath the tree.

Aizen watched from within the nearby grove of trees as the noble stood for several minutes on the shore of the healing pool, then turned away and sat down underneath the sakura tree.

"So stubborn…" he breathed, watching as Byakuya sat, staring up at the moon, until sleep stole over him and he laid down on the cold ground beneath the tree.

He waited until the noble seemed to be in a deep sleep, then left the trees and approached him, pausing to admire his surprisingly lovely, moonlit form stretched out on the grass beneath the tree.

_But it will do neither of us any good if he freezes to death out here…_

It wasn't an admittance of affection, but a simple fact of their forced interdependence. And although it was more to keep himself alive and well as he looked for a way to take the throne, he did feel something oddly pleasant when he looked at his soul bonded. And it felt somehow right when he bent over the sleeping noble and touched his face lightly, sending him into a deeper sleep, then lifted him off of the icy ground and carried him back to the palace. He carried Byakuya into the nearest bedroom and laid him down on the soft bed, wrapping him warmly in the blankets, then stepping back again and quietly wondering what he should do next. He had the strangest inward desire to lie down next to the his sleeping soul bonded…to wrap his body around Byakuya's and fall asleep there.

_But it is just the forced bonding, _he told himself, _and not true affection. I cannot trust anything I feel right now._

But whatever doubts he had, it didn't stop the odd emotions from nagging at him, from making him stop again to admire the noble's pleasing aura, to note the nagging discomfort reflected on his face, and then to sit down and carefully heal the injuries he had inflicted during their mating. He managed to stave off the impulse to lie down with the noble afterward, but surrendered easily to the urge to bend over and taste the sweet, pouting lips before straightening and leaving Byakuya to rest.

He went then to the king's library and spent the next several hours poring over the books there, searching for any hint of how to disrupt the rebirth ritual and to make himself king. He paused twice during his search, sensing eyes watching him. But unable to locate the source, he turned back to the books in front of him and continued the pursuit until he saw the first rays of sunlight coming in through the window and retreated to the nearest room, where he settled down to sleep.

A short time later, a panel in the library wall slid open and Tetsuya stepped out into the silent library with Akio at his side. They left the library and peeked into the rooms where they sensed the two men were sleeping. Bypassing Aizen's room, they slipped into the room where Byakuya slept and Tetsuya carefully looked him over.

"His reiatsu has been drained," the young noble whispered, "but I sense a very powerful reiatsu inside him."

"It is the reiatsu of the developing king," Akio said softly.

"He seems pale and weak," Tetsuya noted, "It is probably from the ritual, but I think he needs to eat to restore himself."

Akio nodded and led Tetsuya to the kitchen, where the two ate a hasty meal themselves, then loaded a tray of food and hot tea for the sleeping noble. They left it beside his bed and slipped out of the room as Byakuya took a deep, sighing breath and began to stir. His eyes blinked slowly as it registered that he was no longer lying on the ground in the gardens, but stretched out in a soft, comfortable bed in the palace. His first impulse upon seeing the tray of food beside the bed was to heave it at the wall, but the smell of the food took hold of his senses and his stomach rumbled noisily. And he remembered too, his choice to submit quietly to the demands of the ritual. He must eat to sustain the life inside him. He took a few calming breaths to soothe himself, then poured a cup of tea and gazed quietly out the window at the blue sky as he ate everything off of the tray, then slipped out of bed and headed into the bathroom. He removed his yukata and moved out into the hip deep water of the bathing pool, walking to the waterfall and letting the warm water cascade down onto him. He closed his eyes and let the warmth seep into his body, making him breathe more deeply and allowing him to relax somewhat.

He sensed Aizen was nearby, but thankfully, the traitor seemed content to leave his noble counterpart alone. He did feel the odd sense that someone was watching him. And sometimes the eyes that watched were warm and caring, but sometimes they seemed cold and threatening. Shaking his head in confusion, he finished his bath and found a clean yukata, then walked back out into the gardens.

Aizen Sousuke was already there and waiting for him, his hands letting go of the prism as he spotted the noble, and his hazed, golden eyes fixing him in place.

"So soon…" Byakuya breathed as he was brought down onto the hard ground where he stood, near the palace doors, "Bastard! The least you could do is wait long enough for us to reach a bedroom!"

But Aizen seemed not to hear him. His dead, golden eyes fixed on Byakuya's wide gray ones and he plunged into the noble's body, thrusting into him almost brutally as the king's reiatsu sought release into the waiting vessel. Byakuya found it almost unbearable, looking into Aizen's cold, dispassionate expression. He closed his eyes and turned his head away, distancing himself with thoughts of what he would do to try to protect himself from Aizen as the ritual neared its completion. He felt the other man's body quiver and freeze, and braced himself for the heavy shock of pain that came with the delivery of the king's reiatsu. Even so, he couldn't hold back a pained cry at the harsh intrusion. He had thought that the pain would lessen over time as his body adjusted to the exchange, but if anything, the delivery of the reiatsu seemed more painful. Aizen's body fell still and as Byakuya watched in stunned silence, the golden hair and eyes slowly regained their normal shade of brown, and Aizen seemed to gradually regain his senses. He saw a flash of regret as the other man realized that he was still entrenched in the noble's body. Trembling fingers touched Byakuya's face and Aizen's lips brushed against his questioningly.

Byakuya shoved him away, his features twisting into a mask of blind rage. He threw himself onto Aizen's shocked body, attacking with hands and feet and loosing a stream of hissing epithets that left his ears burning.

"Don't you _ever_ dare to kiss me, you traitorous FILTH! I could KILL you for touching me! I do not belong to you. I never will. I am only here to serve the king, not to sate your foul and lascivious cravings! Get AWAY from me! And the next part of you that touches ME outside of this ritual will be TORN OFF and BURNED!"

Aizen held off the noble's physical attacks easily, and worried that Byakuya would injure himself while in the midst of his outburst, he stunned the noble with a quick flash of kido and watched in silence as he slumped to the ground in a pretty, white-fleshed heap beside the brown-eyed former taichou. Despite the disturbing nature of their association, he couldn't help but smirk and shake his head as he collected Byakuya and returned him to his bedroom in the castle.

He left food and hot tea at his soul bonded's bedside as somewhat of a peace offering, only to hear it crash against the door as Byakuya regained consciousness and loosed his anger again.

"Kami, what high spirits you have," Aizen whispered, listening to the sound of the fine china shattering within the next room, "I see that your noble upbringing didn't completely destroy the feisty young boy I remember."

He smiled to himself.

"I think, perhaps, that's a good thing…"


	6. Resistance

**Chapter 6: Resistance**

Byakuya's gray eyes opened suddenly and he rolled to his feet, upsetting the small food cart by the bed, then staggering into the bathroom, where he collapsed less than gracefully onto his knees and expelled what little he had eaten before dropping off to sleep several hours before. He rested briefly on his hands and knees, panting uncomfortably, before lifting himself again and retching until spots appeared in the air all around him. He groaned and struck at the arm that wrapped around his waist as he started to slide to the floor and struggled combatively as Aizen Sousuke lifted him and carried him back to bed. The dark gray eyes became stormy as the traitor, instead of leaving, as he had a habit of doing to avoid the worst of his soul bonded's temper, sat down on the bed and gazed at him, as if trying to gauge whether or not it was worth attempting to speak calmly to him. Byakuya's fists clenched and his body shook softly with rage, but he held himself back from launching assaults of either the physical or verbal kind.

"Arigato," Aizen said, wryly, "for giving me a chance to speak this time before attacking. Don't worry about the illness. It is uncomfortable, but it is a sign that we have cleared the first hurdle, Byakuya. This means that the new king's reiatsu has been successfully implanted in the reiatsu chamber inside you. I am sure you will be pleased to know that matings will be less frequent…perhaps merely once or twice a day. And after sentience takes place, we will not mate anymore. I will only need to…"

"What does any of that matter?" Byakuya asked softly, "You do not care about the king. And you do not care about me. The only reason you have made yourself so familiar with the ritual is because you want to disrupt it. You want to kill the developing king and steal the throne. And you wouldn't hesitate to kill me to get what you want. You are the same heartless bastard you have always been, Aizen Sousuke. You poison the air around you with your wickedness!"

"I will admit to both wanting to disrupt the ritual and to wanting to kill the king. And that is the reason I have searched the archives and computers here. But although I was able to find out, in great detail, how the ritual works, the powers that be have left out key pieces of information that would allow me to succeed in either of my goals. I still hold out hope of finding what I need. I believe that it is hidden here within the palace. But it will be difficult to find."

"Do not expect any help from me," Byakuya said in a low voice.

"I know exactly what to expect from you, my lovely soul bonded," Aizen said, smirking, "raised voices, death threats, poisonous hatred and a stubborn refusal to listen to reason."

"Reason?" Byakuya said sarcastically, "You wish to speak to me about reason? Then tell me, Aizen Sousuke, what reason made you murder those councilors in cold blood? What made you hide your face and your movements from your fellow taichous, betray the vows of service you took to defend these lands? What made you use all of us like pawns? And what made you bewitch Hinamori fukutaichou and then run her through, as though her dedication to you…_her love for you_ meant nothing!"

"You already know why I defected, Byakuya."

"Yes, you told us all about your reasons as you opened the way to Hueco Mundo," Byakuya said quietly, "You wanted to stand at the top…no one ever has, not us or our silly king, ne?"

"That is not what I meant, and I think you know it, Byakuya."

"Everyone heard what you said. We all know."

Aizen's lips softened and curved upward.

"Everyone heard your words during that time as well."

Byakuya fell silent, his eyes fixed warily on Aizen's.

"You know, Byakuya, it makes a sad kind of sense that you and I were soul bonded. Because if there is a person who knows more about hiding in plain sight, about breathing nothing but lies through his pretty lips and concealing reality, it is not me, but you. I must congratulate you on your ability to pay lip service to the rules of the noble clans, while still quietly following the dictates of your heart. There has only been one time since Hisana's death that I have seen you break out from under that mask of indifference you wear, throw caution to the wind and follow you heart openly."

"Shut up" Byakuya said, looking away, "Get out."

You asked me for my reasons, Byakuya."

"I don't care. I don't want to sit and listen to your excuses."

"Well, I won't leave until you let me explain. And in any case, I cannot leave the palace until the end of the ritual. And while we wait for that, I will explain my reasons. But I will begin with the one that hits closest to home for you. Rukia."

Byakuya turned his head to glare at Aizen, but the brown-eyed shinigami found himself oddly encouraged that he said nothing and did not look away.

"I used Rukia because I believed your lies…the illusion you created of yourself as the dutiful clan leader of the greatest of the noble clans. I might have wondered back when you were with Hisana, but whatever signs of independent thinking you displayed back then, disappeared with her. You were a model for other nobles, Byakuya. You were everything a good noble son should be. I will get to why I came to despise the spirit king, and in turn, the noble clans. For now, I want to explain why Rukia. I despised and planned to overthrow the king. I made carefully aimed strikes at him…attacking Central 46 and eliminating his councilors there. I used a Rukia to lure you in and struck at the noble clans by using and trying to kill her."

He paused for a moment, remembering.

"I believed you were every bit the heartless, aristocratic noble you pretended to be, and so I took pleasure in seeing you have to see your own sister executed. But then…the moment came when it was time to kill her. And suddenly, you were there. Pushed to the edges of your strength, your heirloom ginpaku kazahana no uzuginu laid over the body of your peasant fukutaichou as a sign of respect you dared not speak to him, your kenseiken shattered and your body pouring out the last of its blood and reiatsu, you let go of everything but that one desire to save her."

"After which you prepared to finish us off. I saw you drawing your sword before Shiba Kukaku arrived."

Byakuya flinched, but didn't otherwise move as Aizen's hand touched his face.

"It was an act of mercy. You were unable to hide yourself anymore and were going to be disgraced in the eyes of your clan. You were, weren't you? The council of elders found a way to punish you later, ne?"

Byakuya said nothing, but his lowered eyes more than underscored Aizen's words.

"You were in awful pain, dying and disgraced. It would have been an honorable thing for me to have spared you that. But even though I was stopped from killing you then…the truth is…my desire to harm you or your loved ones ended that day."

"You tried to have Rukia killed…"

"When she came for Orihime, yes…and I imprisoned you in Hueco Mundo with the taichous I thought useful. Rukia tried to get in the way of my plans, so I stopped her. And I knew that she would cause you to come to Las Noches. I was glad that you were not going to be in Karakura Town or the affected zone when all of the souls were taken. You were still an enemy, but I no longer wished to see you die."

"You…"

"I protected you. I knew that you and that animal, Zaraki, were more than a match for the Espadas I left behind. Unohana taichou would have been too difficult to kill and Kurotsuchi Taichou would have been useful to me after the war."

"But your protection apparently did not extend to my sister. She nearly died, being tormented by your ninth Espada."

"I did not intend for Rukia to engage anyone that difficult. I discovered later that Gin manipulated the passageways, and that is why she faced that particular Espada."

"I don't believe you."

"I did not ask you to. I sought to explain, as you asked me to. It matters little whether or not you accept my explanation. In any case, I did protect you. And I had every intention of returning to Las Noches after my ascension to seek you out and see where things went from there. I saw a possibility in making you my consort."

"As though I would have…"

"I am sure you would have been difficult, yes. But that aside, I did plan to explore you in more detail, Byakuya. You intrigued me. You see, you are the flip side of me."

"What?"

"I am extremely powerful, peasant born and held back because of my class. I saw everywhere, the corruption of the powers that rule our worlds and I had the power to do something about it and stopped at nothing in my attempt. You were the noble born, who chafed under the strict rules of your clan, who resisted what you saw as unfair and wrong…and who acted on it in what ways he could, even though he could not rebel openly."

"Do not compare me to you!" Byakuya hissed, starting to rise, but stopped by a firm hand on his arm, "I _never_…"

"I know what you learned after I was imprisoned in Central 46, Byakuya."

"What are you talking about? Let me go!" Byakuya snapped, trying again to pull away as Aizen held him tightly and moved closer.

"You heard how the guards stood by and let masked tormentors enter my cell and torture me. You heard I was sexually assaulted, beaten and tortured as I lay, unable to resist, until I wished the hougyoku would have released me and allowed me to die. But the spirit within it was angry because I did not prove strong enough when Kurosaki Ichigo pushed me to the ends of my abilities. And in any case, it could not abandon me as our spirits had been sealed away together. So it lay within me mocking me as I was tormented and left to suffer."

"And what makes you think I knew anything?" Byakuya asked sarcastically, no longer trying to escape him, but staring down at where Aizen's hand curled around his arm, "Or that I would have taken a single step towards relieving you of that? And what makes you think I didn't want to be one of them, tormenting you and drawing a drop of your blood for each one you shed in your foul plot?"

Aizen's smile faded.

"I assure you, I shed all of the blood you think I owed, and more. I took back in full, the pain I inflicted."

"As well you deserved," Byakuya said in a clipped tone.

"Is that right?" Aizen asked, seeking his eyes, "Is that really true, Byakuya? Or are you just desperate to keep hiding? But you see…you made several mistakes."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked guardedly.

"You sent your personal courier to someone within the prison, at a time when he would disrupt what was happening, and it was after that, that the torment stopped…after you secretly went to the Central 46 chambers and threatened to convene a royal council to address atrocities within the prison. And the other mistake you made was on the way here. You knew I had been sensually deprived…made to live without light, sound, touch, taste and smell…so when the guard sought to cover my eyes, you stopped him. You knew, Byakuya. I know that you did. I heard your personal courier and recognized him when he came to the prison. I heard one of the guards tell another that they had to be careful because of your threats to demand an audience of the royal council. You had to be careful not to allow it to look as though you were protecting me…"

"I wasn't protecting you. I was protecting your rights as a living soul."

"That's why I defected, Byakuya."

"What?"

"I was protecting my rights as a living soul…to a system that did not force me down for the mere facts of my birth, to a king that had the strength to protect those rights and to punish those who did not respect them. The blood I shed and the evils I did were all directed at those goals, Byakuya. You may not agree with my path to doing this, but you agree in theory with what I desired."

Byakuya's eyes lowered to fix on the surface of the bed he sat on and his body relaxed in Aizen's grasp.

"You don't know anything about me," he said quietly.

"No?" said Aizen, slipping a hand under his chin and bringing their eyes together again, "Tell me, Byakuya. Do you think that what your king asked of you is fair? Is it _right_ to take a good and faithful servant and bind his soul to that of the living devil? To let him be drained of his powers and made to endure what amounts to rape several times a day? To be forced to carry the king inside his body and to give that new king life, knowing he will disrespect you like the last king did? That he will send you back out of the spirit dimension and leave you to your own devices, once this ends…or…no, wait. You've…figured it out, haven't you? You know what they'll do. They'll make sure I do not leave the palace alive, despite my service…and they'll happily sacrifice you too, my soul bonded, because your fate will be the same as mine. So…tell me, do you still consider yourself his loyal servant?"

A tear rolled down one pale cheek and splashed onto Aizen's hand.

"Don't _you_ understand?" he said in a choked voice, "You just laid out in words, the litany of my transgressions, to my clan, and in turn, to the former king. Aizen Sousuke, I was not chosen for my loyal service or my perfection as a model of nobility, but because as well as I could hide my shortcomings, I could not hide them from _him!_ He was not first in my heart, though I made myself obey him. So, no, this is not an honor, Aizen Sousuke, but a _punishment_!"

"_Listen to yourself, Byakuya!_" Aizen said, gripping his shoulders and staring down into the noble's widened eyes, "You broke the rules to marry for love, even though Hisana was a lowly peasant? To protect Rukia? To show mercy for another living soul that was in torment? That makes you deserving of…of _this_?"

"What was I to do?" Byakuya asked, staring, "_Let the three worlds fall because what was asked was not fair?_"

"No…you did the right thing, Byakuya. And that is what makes you right for this. You do what is right, even if it costs you something dear. You listen to your heart and you trust it. _That_ is why you were chosen. Not everyone would do that."

He released the noble and watched as Byakuya lowered his eyes again.

"Will you leave me alone now?" Byakuya asked softly, "I listened to you. Now go."

"In a moment," Aizen said, nodding, "But there is something I must do first."

He leaned forward and surprised the noble's stunned lips with a gentle kiss. He captured the pale hands that rose in protest and kissed Byakuya again, then leaned close and nuzzled his earlobe.

"Arigato, Byakuya, for showing me mercy, even when you didn't think I deserved it. I will repay you for that…at some time when you are of a frame of mind to allow it."

He released the noble, stood and flash stepped away, leaving Byakuya staring after him with a confused expression and touching his lips where Aizen Sousuke's warmth still lingered.

He made his way to his feet slowly, pausing as his head spun and he nearly had to go and empty his stomach again. Fighting down the nausea and the haunting swirl of emotions, he left the bedroom and returned to the King's Gardens. He walked slowly down one of the trails, stopping to avail himself of wild berries and bits of peppermint leaves to soothe his stomach. He sensed the swell of reiatsu that told him that it was time to return for the next mating and turned back, moving more quickly to avoid making the rendered reiatsu wait within Aizen Sousuke's body.

Malevolent red eyes watched him from the bushes, a red tongue sliding over dark lips as the demon breathed in the scent of its quarry and moved closer.

_It isn't time yet. It must wait…until the mating is done._


	7. The Blossom Opens Slowly

**Chapter 7: The Blossom Opens Slowly**

A tickle of breeze stirred Aizen Sousuke, where he lay atop a sleeping Byakuya, his sated length still buried in the noble's body and not wanting to move, lest he should wake his sleeping soul bonded and shatter the stolen sweetness of the moment. But it bothered him that it should have been a moment that was sweet for both of them. Though not so much in control of their fates at the moment, they were certainly in control of how much pleasure they drew from their coupling. And yet, not once had the stoic clan leader looked anything but angry, disgusted or simply compliant. And not once had Aizen Sousuke seen or felt evidence that their joining resulted in any level of pleasure for Byakuya. But, he decided, he had seen a touch less anger this time and perhaps the slightest hint of something that resembled curiosity. And he chose to believe that it meant his soul bonded was ready to take a small step forward.

A small, but profound step…

He reached over to the healing pool and cupped his hand, capturing a bit of water and drinking. Along with it's healing properties, the water was sweet and helped to replenish their strength after mating. He watched as a drop fell onto Byakuya's lips, making them twitch softly and move to absorb the moisture. The gray eyes opened as Aizen's hand dipped into the water again. He lifted it out and brought it to the noble's lips.

His heart skipped as Byakuya gazed into his eyes calmly and accepted what was offered. Aizen let his lips curve upward, just short of a smile. He didn't want to look cocky or self-satisfied. He was genuinely happy that Byakuya had shown just this much acceptance. They were taking painfully small steps forward, but at least they were _moving_ now. Byakuya made no effort to push him away, but kept his eyes fixed on the man on top of him and accepted another mouthful of the healing water. As he swallowed it, the brown-eyed shinigami curved a damp palm around his face and waited for a moment to see how the noble would respond.

Byakuya seemed to be nearly holding his breath. The dark gray eyes were uncertain, still hazy from the mating and from sleeping afterward. Aizen wondered if perhaps he felt too drained or ill to resist and was simply being passive. He lowered his head, bringing his lips to Byakuya's to try to evoke a response.

He would have expected angry words, a violent shove, hissed epithets or anything but what happened. But as their lips touched, Byakuya's moved…barely…but still, they moved in response. He held his own body still and held his breath as he kissed Byakuya more firmly and felt the other man's body tense for a moment beneath his, and then relax. He continued to kiss the noble for several long minutes, breathing in the soft scents of sakura and water, and keeping his eyes focused on Byakuya's…reading the emotion. He saw them soften and felt the body beneath his release a soft sigh. He parted his lips and traced Byakuya's lightly with a questing tongue and after a soft quiver of reluctance, Byakuya's lips parted, allowing the brown-eyed shinigami a taste of hidden sweetness he hadn't expected.

He was all too aware that as his tongue gained entrance to Byakuya's willing mouth, he began to harden again. He forced himself not to move, though his body ached to begin thrusting, and focused instead on exploring the noble's offered mouth. He moved slowly, keeping the pressure gentle and almost smiling as he felt Byakuya's member hardening against his abdomen. He watched as the noble's eyes glazed over with arousal and he began to move his hips very slowly, rubbing against Aizen's belly and simultaneously inviting him to begin thrusting.

It took some effort and a hard bite on his lips to remove himself from the offered pleasure, so that he could offer his soul bonded something even better. Byakuya gave him a confused look and started to sit up, then fell back as Aizen placed a hand on his chest and, enjoying the fast beating of the heart beneath that hand, he coaxed the noble down onto his back again and returned to kissing him.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Byakuya whispered as his mouth was gently invaded again.

"If we are going to make love, Byakuya," Aizen said quietly, "then it should satisfy _both_ of us. Not once since you've been here have you allowed yourself to be pleasured. I do not mean to anger you, but I wonder. Have you ever reached orgasm?"

"I…" Byakuya began, anger touching his voice.

"I don't mean the soft, barely felt kind, the nocturnal dreams we all have. I mean, have you ever…?"

"I know what you mean," Byakuya said testily.

"I know you never made love with your wife, but certainly she offered you some consolation at times, ne?"

He was careful not to smile at the flush that roared across the noble's face and throat at his words. He found the pale, trembling lips that struggled to find the words deeply erotic. He fastened his mouth on the noble's, and felt the sigh of relief pass through Byakuya as he was rescued from having to give the now obvious answer aloud. The hand still resting on the noble's heaving breast slid downward, making Byakuya breath catch as it brushed over a surprised pink nipple, teasing the sweating skin of his abdomen, slipping for a breathless moment into his navel, then moving down to touch the hot, swollen member that waited for him. He let his fingers run teasingly downward, loosing a very soft sound of approval at the sharp inhale it provoked. He gently rubbed the soft, sensitive skin, then moved further down deeper, less for preparing his already slick entrance and more to reach the pleasure center inside him. He hooked his fingers and leaned forward as Byakuya gasped in surprise and fluid began to bleed from his hungry length. Still stimulating him inside, he stimulated the noble's flushed and leaking erection, prompting a harder gasp and making Byakuya's hips thrust upward. He held himself still, allowing Byakuya to continue to move his hips, releasing soft moans and sighs of growing pleasure as the brown-eyed shinigami continued the pleasant contact.

He waited until he felt a warning shiver pass through Byakuya's body, then lifted himself away, prompting a needy groan from the usually nearly silent noble. Aizen smiled and moved so that he straddled Byakuya's body, then as the noble stared in disbelief, he took Byakuya's length inside him in slow, careful thrusts. He stopped for a moment to enjoy the feeling of fullness and his eyes met the noble's calmly. He reached for a pale hand and guided it to his own hardness, closing his eyes as the hand wrapped around him and stroked in time with the motions he made as he rose and fell on the noble's hot member. There was no hesitance now in Byakuya's body or in the hand that touched Aizen's length. The noble's hips bucked upward, sending heady shocks through the body of the man on top of him as he found the pleasure center inside his soul bonded, making what Byakuya found to be a deeply enchanting expression erupt across his features as his body shuddered and hot seed pulsed out and onto Byakuya's quaking abdomen. The noble gave a hard, lovely moaning gasp and gripped the other man's hips tightly, holding him in place and sending his own release in fiery spurts, into his soul bonded's sweating and panting body. The brown-eyed shinigami maintained just enough presence of mind to keep his hazy eyes locked on Byakuya's so he could enjoy the onset of rapturous pleasure, the heavy shudder of his body as he reached orgasm, the disappearance of the anger and disgust that had marked their prior joinings and the long, slow and very sweet fall into mutual satedness.

He didn't remember collapsing onto Byakuya's chest, but rose up out of sleep some time later to the feel of the noble's fine, delicate fingers threading themselves absently into his hair. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even, and quietly enjoyed that small return of affection that somehow felt, at the same time, extremely profound. At some point during the pleasant exchange, he realized that one of his hands was resting on Byakuya's abdomen, and that he could feel the throb of growing life inside the chamber.

And it was then that Aizen Sousuke caught himself wondering what the king they were making would be like.

He knew from having studied all of the texts and reports he could find on the subject that the king's body would reflect, as most children did, the physical markers of his bearers. The level of his power would be determined by a number of factors, but primarily by his ability to connect with the reiatsu of the prior kings and the capability present in the rendering bearer. It made tremendous sense to him that the king's emotional makeup would spring most directly from the parent who carried him, and he couldn't help but be encouraged by the fact that Byakuya's heart would impact the king's responses to the needs of his worlds.

_In some odd way, it seems as though my prayers have been answered…the ones I had while I was still young enough to desire justice, and to believe that it existed. I did not respect the power and heart of the former king, but I find myself encouraged by the potential in this one. But…_

He was startled out of his thoughts by the realization that Byakuya was awake and looking at him through quiet, sleepy eyes. It was a beautiful thing indeed to see such peace in his soul bonded's expression. Byakuya, he thought, spent far too much time admonishing and hating himself, and was more than deserving of contentment. He kept his eyes calm and his lips just short of smiling as he shifted slightly in the noble's arms and offered him a chaste kiss on one porcelain cheek. Byakuya's head turned and his lips met the former taichou's for a series of slower, more relaxed kisses, before shifting into a more drawn out and very pleasant exploration of each other's mouths. He found himself unable to contain a smile as Byakuya's stomach rumbled softly beneath his hand.

"It sounds as though you need to eat, my love," he said, pulling free of the noble and sitting up.

Byakuya lifted himself and settled onto his knees, his hand coming up to brush the tumbled hair away from his eyes. His eyes sought Aizen's and his expression held an odd mixture of worry and the slight hint of hopefulness.

"Will you tell me something honestly?" Byakuya asked calmly, "I felt the way you touched me, and the look in your eyes was different when you…"

He paused for a moment, considering his words.

"I am confused, Aizen Sousuke," he admitted, looking down at his hands, "Do you still intend to do us harm?"

Aizen frowned.

"Is that why you made love with me? To lull me into complacency? To make me lose my desire to overthrow the monarchy?"

"No."

"Then why, Byakuya? For a person who despised me when we entered this place, you have certainly changed greatly in your thinking. I don't think I can yet trust that you don't have an ulterior motive."

Byakuya gazed at him quietly for a moment.

"You do not trust anyone, Aizen Sousuke. That is the true reason why you felt you had to defect."

"Is that so?" asked the former taichou.

"You questioned the king's powers and his ability to manage the three worlds. And your answer to his lack of ability to meet your needs made you turn inward…towards your own powers and abilities when his seemed to fail you. But know this. Our soul bonding gives us insight into each other's thoughts. I know that doubts have begun to form in your mind. You did not trust the prior king, but you find yourself wanting to trust this one we are making. He will be very strong and powerful, like you."

"And he will have your heart," commented Aizen, "Yes, I do find myself wanting to trust this king we are making. But that doesn't mean that you should trust me. I could still disappoint you."

"Any giving of trust carries the risk of betrayal, Aizen Sousuke," Byakuya said quietly, "even when that trust is only given to oneself."

"Yes, well, as you can see, I don't completely trust myself either."

He was surprised at look of regret Byakuya gave him.

"Sousuke," he said, surprising Aizen with the use of just his first name, "There is something I learned from Kurosaki Ichigo just after you were sealed away, something that I wondered at. But now it makes greater sense."

"What is that?" Aizen asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Kurosaki said that he connected briefly with Kyouka Suigetsu. He is able to sense the resolve or emotion in the weapon of his enemy, and he did this while engaging you."

"And what is it that he sensed?"

"Solitude."

Aizen's dark eyes continued to look into Byakuya's, but he said nothing.

"The feeling of not being able to trust anyone is a lonely feeling, Sousuke. And while trust carries with it, the risk of betrayal, if you wish to shed that loneliness, you must trust someone. You just said that you do not even trust yourself. Is there no one you are capable of trusting?"

Aizen smiled sadly.

"I am a long way from answering that question, my love," he admitted, touching Byakuya's hair and brushing their lips together, "and while I struggle with that question, the safest thing for you and this king we are making, is for you to avoid letting yourself begin to trust me."

Aizen felt an inexplicable jolt of concern as Byakuya shook his head slowly and held his eyes captive for a long, breathless moment.

"It is not in my nature to ignore the dictates of my heart, Sousuke," he said slowly, "and my heart tells me that it wants to trust you. And should you betray that trust, I at least have the consolation of knowing that I will not live to regret it."

Aizen felt a slow smile rise onto his lips.

"Byakuya, is that because you believe I can find a way to undo our soul bonding, or did you just threaten to commit suicide to kill us both if I make a move against the new king?" he asked, sounding more amused than unnerved.

He was taken by surprise at the impact of even a small smile gracing the lips of his enigmatic soul bonded.

He laughed softly and coaxed Byakuya to his feet, then the two walked back to the palace and headed towards the kitchen. They fell to oddly normal verbal exchanges as they made and then consumed their meal, then went silent as they returned to the King's Gardens and watched the sunset.

Aizen tilted his head in askance as he felt a soft shiver pass through Byakuya where the noble rested against his shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" he asked softly.

"I feel something," Byakuya admitted softly, "I have sensed it several times…like eyes watching. Sometimes it seems as though they watch to protect, but sometimes I feel much colder ones."

"You think we are not alone here?" Aizen asked, "because a few times, I have felt some stirrings myself. It could be the spirits within the prism. It could be whispers of their power that affect you as the reiatsu stabilizes within your body. But just in case that is not all, I will stay with you in the palace from now on, if you wish."

Byakuya gave him an unsteady smile.

"I think you just want me to share my bed with you," he said dryly.

"That too," admitted Aizen, "I will freely admit you are enchanting when you allow yourself to be pleasured, Byakuya."

The cute flush that rose instantly on the noble's face and throat and the threat of rising ire, prompted him to force Byakuya back against the wall and to attack his mouth with hard, penetrating kisses to stave off the belligerence. But when kisses weren't enough, he took the noble off his feet and back to the bedroom. They were undressed and a breath from indulging in each other again, when Aizen felt the hungry pulsation of the King's Prism.

He felt touched at the glimmer of regret in his lover's eyes as he left to continue the task of gathering and rendering.


	8. Awakening

**Chapter 8: Awakening**

A soft twinge somewhere deep in his abdomen made Byakuya rise up out of sleep and open his eyes suddenly. He felt a second soft twinge, like the feeling of tiny bubbles bursting inside him. He pulled free of Aizen and sat up, placing his palm over where he had felt the odd, pleasant sensation. The brown-haired shinigami's eyes opened and looked up at the noble questioningly.

"Are you all right Byakuya?" he asked sleepily, "Is something wrong?"

Byakuya shook his head and brought his soul mate's hand to rest on his abdomen.

"I felt it right there, a moment ago…a…stirring," the noble said softly.

He felt the sensation again and saw Aizen's lips curve upward. Aizen's power flared gently and lit Byakuya's slightly swollen abdomen with a glowing light.

"What are you doing?" asked Byakuya, looking unsettled.

"I am checking the reiatsu cluster to see if I can connect with the new king's developing consciousness. I am trying to determine if he has yet reached sentience. We should be able feel it when…"

His voice trailed off as the warm, tickly sensation struck the noble again and both men felt the touch of another living soul. The presence was faint and the being could not yet communicate intelligibly, but both men felt the first glimmers of emotion…relief, then happiness at the feeling of there being other souls around him. There was a brief, breathless pause, then Aizen and his noble soul mate, made a small catching of breath as that new soul brushed lightly against theirs, forming a dependent connection. The light around Aizen's hands began to pulsate as the brown-eyed shinigami found his voice again.

"The mating is over," he said wonderingly, "The new king's sentience has been established. I will need to infuse him each day with reiatsu from the prism, and you will need to eat and rest to maintain your strength as his spirit grows steadily within you, but the most difficult part is over now."

Byakuya smiled and laced his fingers together with Aizen's.

"I hope this doesn't mean we can't make love anymore, Sousuke," he said, meeting the brown eyes coyly.

"Perish the thought," Aizen chuckled, leaning forward to kiss Byakuya and bringing him gently down on his back, "Were you wanting to make love now Byakuya?"

The noble started to answer, then caught his breath and disappeared out of their bed and into the bathroom. Aizen winced and shook his head at the sounds of his soul mate coughing and retching, then sighed and slid out of bed to go after him. He found Byakuya, sitting leaned against the wall in the bathroom, breathing slowly and shaking his head.

"My apologies, Sousuke," he said, rubbing his hands over his face, "It's always worst in the morning. I think some water from the healing pool and a bit of breakfast will settle things."

Aizen nodded.

"I'll go and make something for us to eat. Why don't you go and wait for me at the healing pool. Just…do not go too far beyond it. You should be safe so close by, but you'll want to be careful. We still don't know what we sensed before."

"Very well," Byakuya said, pulling away from him and rising, "I will be by the healing pool waiting."

He watched as Aizen left, then walked out of the palace and into the King's Gardens. He looked around and didn't see anything amiss, nor did he feel the presence of the eyes he had felt watching him. He knelt quietly at the edge of the pool, cupping his hand and taking several mouthfuls of water. As he drank, the discomfort in his stomach slowly faded and the reiatsu inside him pulsed gently, making a smile come to his lips. He heard a soft footstep behind him and turned, expecting that Aizen Sousuke had returned.

The breath left his body and terror shot through him as he found himself facing a demon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya brushed the hair out of his eyes and nudged Akio off of his chest. The King's Attendant sat up, his eyes widening as he sensed what had brought the Kuchiki heir awake so suddenly.

"Byakuya-sama!" gasped Tetsuya, jumping to his feet and grabbing his zanpakutou.

Akio wordlessly grabbed his blade and led his noble lover in the direction of the King's Gardens.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke felt the sudden shift in reiatsu in the area of the gardens and flash stepped out of the kitchen and back through the hallways to the entrance to the King's Gardens. His chest tightened inside as he spotted the sealed doorway into the garden.

"Byakuya," he breathed, raising his reiatsu and striking the sealed door.

His eyes widened in surprise as the power he expelled struck the seal on the door and sank into it, but resulted in no damage. His heart racing, he struck it again, only to see the power absorbed again.

"Kami…" he whispered, flash stepping madly along the next corridor and back to the bedroom.

He blazed through the room and onto the balcony, then launched himself into the air and bounded down onto the ground, turning immediately in the direction of the healing pool.

XXXXXXXXXX

The demon's red eyes fixed on the stunned noble's and Byakuya felt the icy, wicked reiatsu slice through him. He knew he had no defense against the creature, and running wasn't an option when the demon had his full speed and Byakuya did not.

"Wh-what are you?" he asked, more to stall for time than out of curiosity.

The demon's long red tongue slipped out of its mouth and ran along its lips.

"I am the killer of kings," hissed the demon, "I am Doku."

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"Are you the demon who killed…"

"Eiji?" Doku finished, smiling, "Yes, I killed Eiji. It was easy. And killing a weakling like you will be even easier, King's Vessel!"

Byakuya leapt back as the demon slashed at him, but his foot touched down on the slippery mud at the edge of the water and he splashed down into the healing pool. For a moment, he was completely submerged, then he surfaced as the demon paused at the edge of the pool and glared down at him. It struck Byakuya soundly that Doku did not just follow him into the pool, and he threw water at the demon, forcing him back as flash steps sounded and two zanpakutous released.

"Ban kai, Koori no bakuha, Re-kuhime!" cried the first swordsman.

"T-tetsuya?" whispered Byakuya, staring as a barrage of ice blades descended on the snarling demon.

A large young blue dragon emerged from the second youth's zanpakutou and it followed Tetsuya's ice blast with a swell of golden fire from it's smoking mouth and nostrils. The demon emerged at a scathing speed and turned on the two attackers, loosing a spurt of foul looking greenish fluid.

"Don't let it touch you!" cried Akio, "Its touch, its bite or scratch and its breath are all poisonous!"

Tetsuya nodded and flash stepped in one direction as the demon shot towards Akio and slashed at his dragon. The dragon recoiled and fired another seething blast at the demon, which danced aside and then disappeared.

"Kami!" gasped Akio, flash stepping towards Tetsuya and taking up a position at his back.

The demon appeared suddenly in front of them and attacked as ice blade erupted from Re-kuhime and Tetsuya threw himself down on Akio. The air rang with wicked laughter as the demon closed in on the two youths.

"Little fools! You cannot fight me!" it hissed, "You are going to die!"

The demon drew back and started to loose an attack, but was thrown off his feet and forced away as a huge blast of blue fire exploded from somewhere behind the two younger men. The leathery black body crashed into a cluster of trees, bringing them down in a huge shower of splinters.

For a moment, no one moved.

Aizen Sousuke stood between the demon and the other three men, his hands raised in preparation to attack again. A sharp hiss sounded in the air and the demon's reiatsu suddenly disappeared. Aizen stepped toward the trees as Tetsuya dragged Akio to his feet and staggered towards Byakuya.

"Tetsuya!" cried Akio, his eyes going wide as his spotted the bleeding wound on the noble's shoulder, "Get into the healing pool quickly!"

He wrapped an arm around the young noble and helped him into the pool, swiftly baring him to the waist and pouring handfuls of the healing water onto the wound. Tetsuya whispered a command to his zanpakutou and a look of relief settled over his features.

"It will slow the poison and give the healing water more time to work."

The king's attendant nodded, then took a startled breath as Byakuya collapsed into the water.

"Byakuya-sama!" hissed Tetsuya, scrambling to his cousin's side.

"Was he cut anywhere?" asked Akio in a concerned voice as Tetsuya lifted the noble and examined him quickly.

"If he was, then the water healed it. But I feel poison in his system."

He leaned over the clan leader and invoked his zanpakutou's special ability.

"Shissui, Re-kuhime," he whispered.

Byakuya's face relaxed and his body went limp in his cousin's arms. The two youths looked up as Aizen Sousuke returned to the pool.

"What happened?" he asked, stepping down into the pool and kneeling alongside Byakuya.

"Tetsuya-san and Byakuya-sama were both poisoned by the demon. Tetsuya-san's zanpakutou was able to slow the advance of the poison and the healing pool cured the physical wounds, but it will take time for the healing pool to counteract the poison."

Aizen nodded and leaned over Byakuya, letting his power coalesce around the noble and sink down inside. He moved into the deeper waters near the waterfall and motioned for the two youths to join them.

"We will need to be extremely wary while we wait here," he said quietly, "That demon is watching. I can feel its eyes."

"So…it wasn't destroyed," mused Akio, "not even by that huge blast! How will we…?"

"We'll manage," said Aizen, "Now, why don't tend to Byakuya's cousin? And the two of you can explain what you are doing here. It is somewhat safer now that all of the King's Reiatsu has been placed, but you could have been killed by being exposed to our core power before, or by that demon, just now."

"My apologies," said Tetsuya, "but I was worried for my cousin. I thought it suicide for him to be forced to carry the king under such conditions. Everyone was sure that, at some point, you would betray my cousin, and you would kill him."

"And are you still convinced of that? You _have_ been watching us. Byakuya and I have felt your eyes watching too."

"You have made my cousin feel that he can trust you," said Tetsuya, "and while you prove trustworthy, I will consider you an ally. But if you try to harm Byakuya, I will kill you in an eyeblink."

Aizen smiled.

"Exactly what I would expect of a devoted cousin," he commented, lowering his eyes to study Byakuya as he slept, held up in the water by his lover's attentive hands, "And who is your friend?"

"I am Akio," said the other youth, "I was Eiji-sama's attendant. And I remained here to make sure that the new king will be protected."

"Well, as you see, neither Byakuya nor the developing king lacks protection. However, since you are here, you will help to guard against that demon. Once the poison in Kuchiki Tetsuya's body has been counteracted, the two of you will alternate with me to guard Byakuya."

The four fell silent as Aizen held Byakuya against him, letting the healing waters surround him and offering him small mouthfuls when he rose for brief moments out of sleep. Tetsuya gave Byakuya another infusion from his blade to lessen the effects of the poison.

"I can only give three infusions each day," he explained, "I will save them for Byakuya-sama tomorrow. We will get him through this!"

He leaned against Akio, closing his eyes and drifting off as the poison in his system caused him to become feverish and uncomfortable. By nightfall, both nobles were still feverish and neither seemed able to wake fully.

"I am going to have to go back into the palace," Aizen said finally, "I may be able to find something to counteract the poison in the infirmary…or maybe a reference to a cure in the archive. Akio, you, Byakuya and Tetsuya must stay in the healing pool. I will raise a protective barrier around it so that the demon cannot reach you while I am gone. Do not leave the protected area…not for any reason!"

"Hai," said the youth, holding on to Tetsuya on one side and Byakuya on the other.

He swallowed hard as Aizen's power flared and the golden barrier formed around the pool. His eyes followed the other shinigami as he moved through the darkness and back in the direction of the palace.

The garden fell silent except for the soft splashing of the waterfall and the occasional swish of wind across the grounds. Akio was grateful for the soft light provided by the protective barrier. It illuminated the area just enough that he felt fairly certain they were alone.

But even so, he knew the hateful eyes of the demon would return. And even though he worried about Aizen Sousuke's intentions, the demon was, for the time being, the greater danger. If the demon killed Byakuya or Aizen, then the council would have to return to the palace and new bearers would have to be chosen. But by then, the three worlds would be beginning to fall apart. There might not be enough time left to them to complete the ritual, and in any case, a lesser pair…'second chosen' would have a higher likelihood of complications. It was better to hope that the current bearers would be successful and not dwell on what might happen otherwise.

Tetsuya stirred and opened his still-glazed eyes. Akio kissed him gently and offered him a mouthful of the healing water.

"Wh-where is…?"

"Aizen Sousuke went back to the palace to see if he could find something to counteract the poison," Akio explained, "He placed a protective barrier around us to protect us. We'll be safe until he gets back."

The noble youth sat up slowly, washing his sweating face with the healing water and taking several more small swallows.

"Akio," he said softly, "When did Aizen leave?"

"About an hour ago," answered the attendant, "It has been quiet and I haven't sensed the demon since he left."

"I hope it doesn't attack him," said Tetsuya, "He is needed for the ritual as much as Byakuya-sama is."

"He'll be all right," Akio assured the noble, "He's very powerful."

"But…but that creature! All it has to do is to connect once, and…"

He thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Akio, perhaps you could use the secret tunnels and return to the palace to make sure he is not attacked. We remained to protect the bearers and the new king. We have to…"

"I'm not going to leave you and Byakuya-sama!" objected Akio, "You are both still very ill. You have to rest! Please."

Tetsuya's lips tightened in protest, but Akio's eyes fixed on his pleadingly and finally, he released a soft sigh and laid back against the rocks, pulling Byakuya close.

"Fine…" he said, looking down at his unconscious cousin, "but if there is trouble, you have to go back and help him."

"He'll be fine," Akio said, trying to sound convinced, "He's the strongest of all of us."


	9. Unremorseful

**Chapter 9: Unremorseful**

Aizen Sousuke gathered the references he had found in the King's library and pored over them carefully, noting in particular, all references to injury of the King's Vessel. He bent his head over the sources, frowning in concentration, all the while feeling the devilish eyes that watched him. He wondered why the demon did not attack him, but instead eyed him with curiosity and something that felt like amusement.

"You might as well come out," he said finally, "I know you are there, Doku. It makes me curious...but then, curiosity also seems to be emanating from you, ne?"

The demon stepped forward, out of the shadows and observed him for a moment as he continued to search the books and papers in front of him.

"Are you not going to attack me?" asked Aizen, without looking up.

"It is more fun to watch you, Aizen Sousuke," the demon replied smoothly, "You are an interesting shinigami. Just when I think I understand you, you go and surprise me."

"How so?"

The demon gave him a cryptic smile.

"You came to this place practically foaming at the mouth, spouting all about how you were going to kill the vessel and the king and take control."

"So I did," Aizen answered dryly, "And your point is?"

Doku's eyes shifted to the books in front of Aizen.

"Well," he answered, his smile widening, "I am in the unique position of being able to offer you some assistance."

"And you would do that because?"

"Because, it seems, I want something that belongs to you right now. And if you agree to give it to me, then I will tell you how to gain the control you desire."

Aizen lifted his eyes and fixed them on Doku.

"What is it that you want?" he asked softly.

The demon laughed.

"So...you _are _still interested in being king, ne?" Doku asked.

"Do not waste my time," Aizen said brusquely, "I have no time to trifle with you while you toy with me."

"You think I am kidding?"

"I think you want the throne, yourself," said Aizen.

"Perhaps," replied the demon, "but if I am allied with the new king, then it will not be so bad for me either."

"So you offer me the knowledge I need to make myself king and you will ally yourself with me to our mutual benefit, if I comply with your wishes and give you...?"

"The noble. Your soul bonded...well, once we shatter the bond between you, of course."

Aizen's brown eyes darkened and flicked upward.

"You want...Byakuya?" he asked, "Why? Beyond the obvious, I mean. I know you want to devour him."

He gave the creature a wry smile.

"Who wouldn't, ne? He is lovely and powerful. But it would be a short-lived enjoyment if you are merely going to drain and kill him."

The demon's eyes closed for a moment, then opened lazily.

"Oh, I think that would be a waste, don't you?" he said, meeting Aizen's gaze meaningfully, "I find him very physically and power-wise attractive. I mean to possess and corrupt him, then to take him as my mate...seeing as how you don't really want him for yourself. Or have you changed your mind? Has fucking him so enthusiastically made you fall for him? Have those pretty eyes ensnared you and made you forget the reasons why you so passionately fought to overthrow the king?"

"I assure you," Aizen said sternly, "I have not forgotten the reasons why I sought to overthrow the king, "So tell me then, how to accomplish it."

The demon's lips curled wickedly.

"Then you agree to give me Byakuya?" he asked

Aizen's eyes narrowed.

"No. Byakuya remains with me."

The demon laughed softly.

"Though he'll hate you after you betray him, yet again. How will you win him back?"

"That is my concern," said Aizen off-handedly, "Now, I will offer you an alliance and some other compensation, but Byakuya is mine."

The demon stopped laughing and met Aizen's eyes with full seriousness.

"You are a stubborn man, Aizen Sousuke," he said, his eyes glinting, "But you have caught me in a charitable mood. So...we have a deal?"

Doku slowly extended a clawed hand.

"We are partners in crime now, ne Aizen Sousuke?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"I have given him the final infusion," Tetsuya said, wiping the sweat from his forehead and leaning back against a rock, "I don't know what we'll do if Aizen does not return soon."

"He may have had to avoid the demon," said Akio, gazing at Tetsuya, who rested wearily against the rock, holding Byakuya close to him, "I sensed Doku in the area where Aizen was. I just hope he wasn't hurt or killed. Your cousin is dying, Tetsuya. His body is just not able to overcome the poison. You are better off than him, but just barely. You should try to sleep some more."

"I will be all right now," Tetsuya assured him, "Re-kuhime has told me that the worst is over. I think the only reason Byakuya is struggling is because of the burden of carrying the king's reiatsu."

"I agree," said Tetsuya, nodding, "But we have to hope that Aizen will have the answer. Otherwise..."

He trailed off and his hands tightened on his unconscious cousin. The two stopped talking and looked around uneasily as footsteps sounded nearby. Akio raised his zanpakutou and placed himself in front of Tetsuya and Byakuya. His body went taut for a moment, then he breathed a sigh of relief as Aizen Sousuke appeared and removed the barrier around the healing pool. Akio left the pool and watched quietly as Tetsuya lifted Byakuya and carried him out as well. Aizen took Byakuya from Tetsuya, then met the two youth's eyes sternly.

"You will need to return to the tunnels and remain within them until I have healed Byakuya."

"Then...you found a way?" Akio asked.

Tetsuya's eyes registered mistrust.

"We sensed that the demon followed you," he said, placing a hand on his weapon, "I am not leaving you alone with my cousin. He may trust you, but I do not."

Aizen shook his head firmly.

"This is not a matter of trust, young noble, but a simple necessity. You and Akio will not be able to withstand the forces that we will emit. The tunnels are well enough shielded that you will be protected. You must remain within them for your safety. Remember, you were not even supposed to be here at all. To ignore my warning invites death, Tetsuya."

Akio bit his lip gently.

"I'm afraid that he is right that we have to go into the tunnels, Tetsuya," he said, glancing warily at Aizen, "The only reason we were not destroyed before is because we were in there. I think that if they are going to reveal their spirit cores again, we must do as he says."

Tetsuya glared at Aizen, but removed his hand from his blade.

"Very well," he said reluctantly, "It seems that we must trust you for now. However, when we emerge again, I will stop at nothing to kill you, if I find that you have betrayed us!"

"Hurry then," Aizen urged the youths, "Byakuya is weakening by the moment. If he worsens much more, I will not be able to save him."

Akio took Tetsuya's hand and led him back to the tunnels. Tetsuya paused at the doorway, looking back worriedly.

"Byakuya-sama..." he whispered.

"Do not worry," Aizen said, looking into Tetsuya's anxious eyes, "I swear that he will not be harmed."

"And how do I know that you will keep your word?" Tetsuya asked warily.

"Remember that I am soul bonded to Byakuya," Aizen reminded the youth, "I will only harm myself too, if I allow harm to come to him. Byakuya is safe with me. Go now. You may return once our cores have been resealed."

Tetsuya paused for a moment, then nodded briefly and followed Akio into the tunnels. Aizen laid Byakuya down on the grass beside the healing pool, then opened the noble's yukata.

"It is a blessing that you are unconscious," he commented as he suspended the King's Prism over the noble's abdomen and invoked a kido spell to hold both in place, "Even if not for the pain, I think you would not understand my intent here, and you would likely end up fighting me and making things worse for yourself. You must trust me. This is the only thing that will keep you from dying...and I am not about to let you die."

He gazed for a moment at the King's Prism, then placed both hands on the prism. He slowly raised his reiatsu, swallowing hard and trying to ignore the quickened beating of his heart as well as his anxiousness at what he was about to do. He wasn't one to second guess himself, and despite his feelings for Byakuya, he knew there was neither time, nor another path than the one he had chosen.

_He will hate me for this, of course, but there is no avoiding it._

He locked his eyes on Byakuya's troubled face and sent a thin stream of reiatsu through the prism and down into Byakuya's abdomen. A moment later, he reversed the flow, capturing the reiatsu cluster that resided inside of Byakuya and destabilizing it. His face paled at the sudden waves shock and fear that emanated from the cluster. He told himself that it was only a necessary, short term loss, and that he and Byakuya would be able to overcome it, but the sentience inside the cluster convulsed, then loosed a hard mental shriek. Byakuya's eyes flew open instantly, and he struggled against the kido that held him in place. His wide eyes enraged, he screamed defiantly and fought the kido, ignoring Aizen's pleas to stop.

"You damned bastard!" he cried, "What in kami's name are you doing? How _dare _you! Stop, Sousuke! You are killing him! STOP!"

"Listen to me," Aizen said, leaning over him and looking down into the noble's panicked eyes, "You were going to _die_, Byakuya. Your body was being overcome by the demon's poison. There was no way for your body to work against it, as long as it carried the king's reiatsu. It doesn't..."

The two men froze as another gripping shriek sounded in their minds. Byakuya gasped in surprise as his abdomen began to glow with golden light. Aizen stared, then leapt back as the kido holding Byakuya down shattered and the noble rolled to his feet. His legs shook and his eyes flared the same golden color as the transcendent light. His face twisted in unnatural fury and power flared around his hands.

"_Betrayer_!" hissed a commanding voice that was very obviously not Byakuya's.

Power exploded from the noble's extended hands, just missing Aizen as he flash stepped away.

"No, you are wrong!" Aizen insisted, flash stepping clear of another blast, "And you are wasting power we need for the birth of the new king. You must stop resisting and go back into the prism. Byakuya must have his full powers returned so that he can fight the poison. Scan his body if you doubt me. He is dying. And if Byakuya dies, there will _be _no new king!"

Byakuya took a staggering step back and his eyes closed for a moment. He panted harshly, his legs shaking harder beneath him. Finally, his eyes opened, then seemed to return to their natural gray color. Aizen stepped forward, frowning as Byakuya took a stumbling step back and started to collapse. He caught the noble mid-fall and held him tightly as the prism glowed, and continued to empty the reiatsu from the shocked man's abdomen. He groaned in agony at the swift and brutal departure of the king's reiatsu from his body, then screamed in terror as the reiatsu exiting his body swelled and went out of control. The last ragged end of the reiatsu cluster tore through his skin, and blood erupted from his opened belly.

Aizen's face went deathly pale and he grabbed the stunned noble and dragged him into the healing pool. Byakuya screamed again as redness blossomed around them in the water, and the noble tried to scramble away from Aizen's grasping hands.

"No, stop!" cried Aizen, "You'll bleed out, you fool!"

He sent a shock of kido through the noble's body, then dragged him back into his arms and held him tightly, one hand slipping down and sending healing reiatsu into his torn abdomen. Byakuya leaned heavily against his shoulder, breathing harshly and choking on the blood that welled up inside him and leaked from his mouth. Slowly, the water they rested in began to clear. Aizen cupped a hand and gathered a small amount of the water.

"Drink it," he commanded Byakuya, "You are still bleeding inside."

Byakuya managed a few sips, then leaned against Aizen again, closing his eyes and struggling to for breath. He shivered and glanced up in surprise as the other man's fingers brushed against the skin of his chest and stomach, pausing over his spirit centers and gently stimulating them with small pulses of reiatsu. A moment later, the noble sighed in relief as his own power began to flow through his body again.

"You should be able to fight off the poison now," Aizen said quietly in his ear.

The exhausted noble managed a short nod, then let his head drop onto Aizen's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"You," he said softly, "You...sent the king's reiatsu back into the prism?"

Aizen took Byakuya's hand and brought it to rest on the King's Prism. Byakuya's body tensed for a moment as he strained to feel the presence of the reiatsu within the prism, then released as he confirmed the presence within the artifact.

"You...could have destroyed it completely," said Byakuya, "You know that, don't you? You could have destroyed it and stolen its power. So...tell me why you did not."

Aizen met the noble's weary eyes and smiled at him.

"I don't have an answer to that," he said, shaking his head, "I admit that I knew. If I didn't know before, that demon appeared and offered me the information."

"That was neighborly of him," Byakuya said, his eyes narrowing, "And what did he demand in return for the information?"

"A swift death," replied Aizen.

Byakuya blinked.

"What?" he asked softly.

"He tried to convince me to trade _you_ to him for the information. I refused...somewhat violently."

"So the demon is...?"

Aizen's lips tightened.

"I would like to say he was dead, however, being in a hurry to return to heal you, I merely struck at him and left. I did not remain to be certain that he perished. My apologies for my egregious lack of attention to detail."

Byakuya couldn't quite hold back an amused smile.

"I imagine I could overlook it, this once."

His expression grew serious.

"Sousuke, what do we do now? We had already completed the mating...and the reiatsu was sentient. To have to begin again..."

Aizen ran his fingers lightly through Byakuya's hair and graced his lips with a warm kiss.

"We will not do anything until you have fully healed, and are strong enough to attempt the ritual again."

"We may not have time," Byakuya said worriedly, "There was already instability in the three worlds. It will only get worse every moment we let pass. We have to..."

Aizen kissed him harder, silencing him.

"Leave it to me," he said calmly, "We will have time to complete the ritual, and in any case, rushing things would only threaten your life by putting too much strain on you. Don't worry, Byakuya. we will not fail in our mission. We will keep the three worlds safe, whatever it takes."

"Even if it costs us everything," Byakuya added, "Even if it costs us our lives..."

Aizen placed his hands on the noble's face and met his eyes warmly.

"My love," he said, shaking his head, "We really must do something about that death wish of yours. It begins to concern me to know how determined you are to _die_!"


End file.
